Six Feet Under
by dabbling
Summary: as in: undercover. Logan and Goren get in over their heads, and find out there's way more going on than what they were first investigating. Bobby and Alex starting a romance? ...also features Logan and Ross. This story kind of explores the bond people get from backing each other up.
1. Chapter 1

Six Feet Under

Logan threw his whole body into the punch, and the big man staggered back, catching himself on the edge of the bar. He wiped the blood off his lip with the back of his hand. Then he knocked a table over to get it out of his way. He was seeing red, drunk on whiskey, sober from anger, and desperate to get his message across.

Logan landed another one just as Goren grabbed hold of his shirt. The bigger man held him still with his right and buried one deep into his jaw with his left. Logan fell, and Goren stalked toward the door, shaking out his left hand.

Just as he reached the handle of the door, a wiry body grabbed him in a bear hug and flipped him. They both landed on the floor in a heap.

"That's enough!" The owner yelled, holding a .22 shotgun and waving it between the two of them. "Get out! Get out now! Both of you!"

Outside, they glared at each other and walked separate ways.

* * *

"Determined little bastard," Bobby was saying as he adjusted the ice on the fingers of his left hand.

"He's a cop. We made him last week. He probably knows you, what you're up to."

"That would explain why he didn't give up."

"If it happens again, Oscar, you'll have to kill him. He's too close, he knows too much."

Bobby, now known as Oscar, narrowed his eyes and drank the beer that was sitting in front of him. "Son of a bitch." They thought they understood what he meant, but they were wrong. Bobby's mind started spinning, trying to think of another way to get a message to Logan without getting himself killed in the process. Maybe the punch was enough, maybe not. He had to keep trying.

All undercover jobs were dangerous, but this one seemed to be spiraling out of control. Logan was supposed to be in the group with him, but instead, they'd suspected him right away and shut him out. So Bobby was alone in this group, without backup. They were a nasty bunch, too.

Not only were they responsible for the two killings that prompted the undercover job, they were running guns to terrorists. He closed his eyes as he took another drink, thinking he should figure out how to get word to the Feds, too.

"Let me see that," Devin said. Bobby slipped the bag of ice off his hand. Devin winced at the sight of it. "You're left-handed, too. Not too smart."

Bobby scowled at the man and put his ice pack back into place. "The whiskey… did my thinking," Bobby explained.

* * *

"He what?!"

"Knocked out one of Logan's teeth. He's at the dentist right now."

"Fuck."

"Captain, Bobby wouldn't have done it if he didn't have to… convince them."

Ross squeezed his lips shut. "You're saying they made Logan."

"It's the only thing that explains it," Alex said.

Ross took a deep breath and sighed. "I need to speak with Logan. I'm not willing to pull him unless we're sure."

"Sir, if they made Logan, Bobby's in danger, too."

* * *

Logan was lying in the recovery room of the oral surgeon's office, his face swollen the size of a basketball and groggy from the drugs.

"Mike," Ross said. For appearances, he'd changed into street clothes and said he was Mike's next door neighbor, come to take him home.

Logan tried to shake away the fog. Before he could speak, Ross said, "Mike, it's me, Dan."

"Dan," Mike said, his mouth thick and sluggish.

"I got my car outside," Ross said. "I can take you home when they're through with you here."

Mike nodded. He struggled to sit up. Ross grabbed his arm to keep him from falling off the bed.

"Hey, no rush, buddy. You can wait if you have to," Ross said.

Mike answered by taking a deep breath and sliding himself off the table to land unsteadily on his feet. Ross supported him.

"Fanks, Dan," Logan mumbled as he leaned hard on the Captain. They walked slowly out, pausing only to make arrangements for the bill.

Once Logan was in the car, an old ford taken from impound, he groaned.

"Goren did this?" Ross asked.

"Had to," Logan said. "I got him good, too." It was hard to understand what he said.

"Eames thinks they made you, or Goren wouldn't have pounded you so hard."

"Uh, he was… uh… drinking."

Ross let this information filter in. "Do you think they made you?"

Logan sighed, which sounded much more dramatic with the swelling in his face. "I don't know." If he said yes, he would be pulled. That would leave Bobby all alone in the field. If he said no, he and Bobby might both be in terrible danger.

"Give me a straight answer, Logan."

He shut his eyes and thought hard. "No," he finally said.

Ross pulled the car over in front of Logan's temporary undercover address. "Steer clear of fistfights with Goren," he ordered.

"Yessir," Logan mumbled. "Thanks for the ride." He got out and stumbled to his makeshift apartment.

* * *

Eames was worried. In her mind, there was no way Bobby would have used full force on Logan unless he was trying to tell him something. Apparently, Logan didn't think so, but Alex knew Bobby. She knew Bobby better than anyone.

She picked up the phone and called an old friend in vice.

* * *

Goren heated up a bowl of soup in the microwave. He sat on the old futon with the bowl propped on his knee and tried to eat it with his right hand. The jury was still out on his left. It was certainly sprained, possibly broken. He gulped down the soup, then sprawled across the futon, and tried to ignore the throbbing of his hand and go to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It took three days, but Eames finally got a call back from vice. "He's deep under," the woman said.

"I know that," Alex replied. "Did you get the message through?"

"I told him. He said Logan's compromised."

"Shit," Alex said.

"And Eames?"

"Yeah?"

"I think Goren broke his hand."

Alex's face betrayed her concern. "Thanks, Ellie. I owe you."

"He asked for ATF, too."

Alarms went off in Alex's head. This was getting huge.

"Got it. Thanks, Ellie."

"Take care, Eames."

* * *

Bobby had gotten himself a splint from the corner drugstore. It wasn't enough to properly treat his hand, but it was the best he could do. His cover story wouldn't mesh with a hospital visit, not unless he was out cold and had no say in it. He would have to hope the splint was enough, or that the others would bring in a doctor for him.

He held his hand close to his chest, keeping it elevated as he walked. He knocked on the apartment door and waited until it swung open.

"Oscar, how's the hand?" Devin asked.

"Probably busted," he said.

"You see a doctor?"

Bobby glared at him. It was his persona.

"Oh. Well, you okay if a doctor comes to see you?"

"You know one?"

"Well, Gil has a guy comes around whenever anything bad goes down. Maybe he can ask him."

"I don't want to owe Gil for nothing."

"I'll make sure it doesn't come across like that," Devin said.

Bobby nodded, and Devin pulled out his cell. Bobby sat down in the chair in the corner to wait for the others while Devin jabbered and tried to get the doctor to come around.

He was on edge, every nerve on full alert, all of his senses firing at once. It was the only way to be in this crowd. The bell rang and Devin let in two more of the cadre.

Bobby greeted them with a quiet nod and a grunt, and watched them as they sat on the worn couch and traded quiet observations about some of the others in the group.

He leaned his head back and held his splinted arm up in the air. His eyes looked closed, but they were open enough to take in every motion in the room.

* * *

Mike Logan wasn't pleased with the events of the past few days. Ever since they'd replaced his tooth in his mouth, he was getting very little from his contacts. He worried that they had discovered his true identity. Still, he'd heard nothing more from the Captain, and if Major Case knew he was made, they would get him out fast.

His swelling had gone down, and now he just had bruising and pain to deal with. He wondered how Bobby had fared. He hadn't seen him since the fight. Mike pulled on his shoes, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door.

The phone started to ring, but he was already gone.

* * *

"He's not answering," Eames told the Captain. She hung up. "We've got to get him out of there."

"I'll put in some calls, maybe we can send in someone to yank them both back out."

Alex looked worried. "Any word from ATF?"

"Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are sending two of theirs over ASAP. That was the word at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Now you know as much as I do."

She frowned even further.

"Eames, just… keep trying Logan. Maybe he's just napping or something, and we'll catch him before he sticks his neck out."

She nodded and walked out of his office. Ross picked up the phone.

* * *

The final guest had arrived. Bobby leaned forward in the chair and watched as the men inspected some of the firearms from the trunk the men had wheeled in. With his arm trussed up, he couldn't manipulate the weapons himself, but he watched the others carefully.

"Hold on," Goren said. "Take that cartridge out again," he said to one of the men on the couch.

The man removed it and showed the empty weapon to Bobby. "Serial number, it's scratched out. Looks like a kid did it. These can be traced, no trouble at all," he said.

The salesmen did not look happy. They inspected the gun themselves and saw he was right. "That's only this one. The others are fine," they said.

Goren glared at them. "They're not quality," he said. "Powers won't want them."

The men got into a heated discussion, which Devin interrupted. "Oscar," he said quietly.

Bobby got to his feet and followed him into the kitchen.

"He needs to x-ray it, so you'll have to go to his office."

Bobby glanced back at the living room and nodded. Devin handed him the address and sent him out the back door.

Five minutes later, Mike Logan showed up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The doctor got the x-rays quickly, and hung them on the light board where Bobby could see them, as well.

"I don't see any breaks," he said, scrutinizing them closely. Bobby, in character, couldn't look as closely as he would have liked. "I believe you just have a nasty sprain," the doctor said, and drew his finger on the x-ray, along the edge of where Bobby's fingers met his hand, "along here. And of course, bruising." He handed Bobby his splint back. "This is fine, keep using it until you feel you can begin to use your hand again."

"How long will that take?"

"A few days, maybe a week."

Bobby nodded quietly.

"Take ibuprophin for the pain and swelling," the doctor advised.

He nodded again, and motioned to the x-ray films. "Can I?" He asked.

The doctor took them down and slipped them into an envelope. "Sure."

Bobby walked out with his envelope tucked under his arm. He found a parcel store and bought a PO box, where he stashed the films. Then he headed back into the neighborhood, back into his assignment.

* * *

Mike Logan was lucky to be alive. The gun deal was already sour by the time he arrived, and one of them blurted out that he was a cop, and next thing he knew, he was on the floor with a nasty bump on the head.

The group scattered, figuring there was some kind of tracking device on Logan. He laid there for more than an hour, and slowly came to. He was relieved when he saw Bobby kneeling over him.

Bobby, bad arm and all, picked him up in a fireman's hold.

Devin's voice stopped him before he could even begin. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"He's dead!" Bobby said gruffly. "I'm going to… lose the body. You leave him here, they might find something."

Devin listened to Bobby, and nodded. "O-okay, Oscar. Okay."

"You want to come with?" He asked.

Devin shook his head. "No."

"I'll be in touch," Bobby said, and went out the back door with Mike still wrapped around his shoulders.

"Just keep playing dead," Bobby whispered. He got Mike as far as the alley between the buildings when he heard a click behind him.

Gil Powers stood, gun trained on Bobby, flanked by Devin and another man. "Going somewhere?"

Bobby slowly turned, feeling Mike's weight on his shoulders. "I told Devin, I'm going to get rid of this."

"No. We're going to get rid of you. Get him in the fucking car."

Bobby's brain calculated, but he saw nothing to do except what he was told. He lowered Mike and stuffed him into the back seat, then climbed in beside him. At this point, he couldn't tell if Mike was still conscious. Devin squeezed in next to him and shut the door, while Gil sat in the front passenger seat and the other man drove.

The back seat was cramped. Bobby glared at the men in the front, keeping up his act. He said nothing when he felt Devin slip him the lighter. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with a lighter, but it was nice to know he had an ally.

Devin got out, and so did Gil. The driver opened his door, got the car moving, and jumped out just before it went off the dock and into the water.

* * *

"ATF already has someone inside."

"What?" Alex asked.

"That's what they told me," explained Ross.

"Bobby doesn't know."

"Any luck with Logan?"

She shook her head.

* * *

Because of the open door, the car was filling with water fast. "Mike! Logan!" Bobby grabbed hold of Mike's shoulders and hoisted him up above the water line.

Logan coughed, but that was all.

Bobby climbed over the front seat, taking Logan with him. "Mike! If you're awake, I really need you to help, here."

"Fuck," was all Logan managed to say.

"We're going for a swim, hold your breath on 3," Goren shouted at him. "1, 2, 3!" With a deep breath, he pulled Logan through the door and into the water. Goren swam as hard has his legs would let him, until his lungs were burning and they burst above the surface. He turned Mike so his face was out of the water, and leaned back, trying to catch his breath. The water was salty. They were in the ocean.

Goren kicked when he could and tried to move with the waves, hoping that the tide wasn't taking him further out than he was moving in. His back bumped something, and Goren quickly spun around and latched on to it with his right hand.

A rope. He followed the line to the dock, gasping from the effort of the last hour. "Logan!" He shouted at Mike. "You awake?!"

Mike groaned.

"Grab the damn rope!"

He helped Mike get the rope under his armpit and made sure he could support his own weight, then Goren pulled himself out of the water onto the dock. He turned back for Logan and caught him just as he started to lose his grip on the rope. Bobby heaved and pulled Logan to safety, as well. The two lay on the worn wood, exhausted.

"Goren," Mike's voice broke the silence.

"Yeah," he replied, not bothering to move a muscle.

"Thanks."

"How's your head?" Bobby asked, finally managing to get himself to a sitting position.

"Like hell," Logan mumbled.

It was too dark to see details. Bobby could only make out the shape of his friend lying beside him. He stuck his hand in his pocket and fished out the lighter. He rolled the wheel under his thumb, and nothing happened.

Either the lighter was a piece of shit, or it wasn't a lighter at all. He stuffed it back into his pocket and got to his feet, shaking.

* * *

"ATF is getting a signal from the commercial docks. It hasn't moved in a while, they think it's one of the undercovers."

Eames grabbed her gun from the locker and hurried out to the SUV, with Ross beside her. He climbed in the passenger seat without a word and they drove swiftly into the night.

* * *

Bobby managed to drag Logan to the ship. It was impossible for him to get his bearings in the intermittent light coming off the moored ships. Rather than stumble into the unknown and risk falling back into the water, he decided it was safer to get to the shelter and hopefully warmth of the nearest ship.

He found the gang plank that led to the crew quarters and pulled Logan aboard. The ship was silent. Even the open door they'd just come through was abandoned. Bobby took Logan down the hall until he found an open cabin. He dropped Logan onto a cot and felt along the wall until his hand bumped a lamp. He turned the light on.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Logan was his first concern. In the light, he could see the blood that was already seeping into the sheet from Logan's head wound. Bobby looked around the little cabin, and found a first aid kit on the wall by the door. He opened it and pulled out the things he would need to make a bandage.

"Mike, I need you to sit up," Bobby said. He tucked an arm underneath the man and pulled him to a sitting position. "Mike, can you sit that way on your own?" He asked.

Groggily, Logan affirmed that he could. As quickly as he could, Bobby packed cotton against the bloody spot and wound the bandage around his head. It was a sloppy job; Goren wasn't much good working without full use of his left hand. At last he lowered Mike back to the cot. Then he lifted Logan's eyelids one by one and registered that his pupils were dilated.

Bobby got his phone out of his pocket, but it was soaked and useless. "Do you have your phone?"

Mike reached towards his pocket, and Bobby dug it out. His was waterlogged, too. Bobby glanced around, but there was no phone in the room.

He shivered, and searched the room until he found some old wool blankets. He threw one over Mike and wrapped himself in the other. Bobby remembered the lighter and withdrew it from his pocket. Sitting down, he carefully took it apart, and found it contained a tracking device.

For a moment he entertained the thought that it was for Powers to find them. Bobby realized Powers could have killed them outright, that there was no need for him to track them. That meant that Devin was undercover, too. And now Devin was in danger. Bobby hugged the blanket tighter around him and slipped into sleep.

* * *

The invasion of officers, Eames and Ross among them, roused both men. "Call a bus!" Ross ordered his subordinates. He looked between Goren and Logan. Eames was talking quietly to her partner.

"Mike needs a hospital," he said.

"And you," she added.

He shook his head, but her stare let him know he didn't have a choice.

"There's another undercover, Captain. I called him Devin. He helped us, gave us that tracking device," Bobby said, gesturing to the dismantled lighter.

"He's ATF," Ross said.

"He's still inside," Bobby told him.

The paramedics arrived and quickly transferred Logan to a gurney and took him to the waiting ambulance. Eames walked with Bobby, and he got in, as well.

"I'll meet you there," she said.

He nodded, and the doors shut as he sat down.

Alex turned to Ross. "They're going to need some dry clothes."

"I'll call and have one of the boys bring something down. We need to sit down with Bobby, before the Feds do."

"I know."

* * *

"I just got it x-rayed," Bobby told them. "I was told it's sprained, not broken." They had removed the soggy splint and were looking closely at his hand.

"Without seeing the x-rays, I'm not convinced."

"I can bring them to you tomorrow. I kept them."

"All right. We'll wrap it and you take those x-rays to your doctor as soon as you can."

"That was my plan all along," Bobby agreed. He was feeling better now. Even though he was only clad in the hospital gown, he was dry and warm. Alex walked in, and handed Bobby a gym bag. He looked inside, saw the clothes, and smiled at her.

The nurse came in to wrap his hand, so he postponed getting dressed.

"You okay?" Eames asked.

He nodded, waved his left hand, forcing the woman to rewrap it. "Just sprained."

"Logan's staying overnight. Just a precaution."

Bobby nodded again.

"You up for a long night?" she asked him, gently, as if he really had the option to say no. Again, Bobby nodded. For Devin's sake, he needed to fill them in.

"I'll get you a coffee," she said.

* * *

Bobby, now in jeans and a sweatshirt, sat with his elbows on the table and his hands holding his face. The man was exhausted.

"You look like hell, detective. We can put this off until tomorrow," Ross offered.

Goren shook his head. He needed to give the information as soon as possible. It was the least he could do for Devin. Bobby drank the rest of his coffee and spoke. He gave the names and what he had gathered of their locations. He told about the failed arms exchange and wrote down the numbers he recalled that had been roughly scratched out on the rifle he'd examined.

"Are you sure Devin is the one?"

Goren nodded.

"How do you know?"

"He's the one who slipped us the lighter. I had no idea until then that he wasn't one of them. He's good, and he's well established. He's been in a long time."

"Get some sleep, Goren."

"The Feds-"

"I'll talk to the Feds. They can talk to you whenever you've had a long nap." Ross looked at Eames. "Take him somewhere they won't find him?"

"Yes, sir," she said with a smile.

At her gentle touch, Bobby got to his feet. He was surprised at the soreness that had already settled in his muscles.

* * *

He fell asleep in the car. Alex leaned over and put her hand on his arm. "Bobby," she said softly. "Let's get you to a bed."

After a couple more tries, he awoke and followed her through the garage of her father's house and inside. He saw no sign of John Eames as they walked down the hall and she pointed him to a bed in the guest room. Bobby wondered if the old man even knew he had guests.

He didn't have time to think that over. Once his shoes were off, he crawled in between the sheets and slept again.

Alex returned a few minutes later and found his large body curled on its side, half in and half out of the bedcovers. She quietly went inside and tucked him in.

* * *

When she came back out, her father offered her a beer. "Is he all right?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing a couple of days of rest won't cure."

"You?"

"I wasn't undercover."

"I know that."

"Yeah, Dad. I'm fine."

"You're relieved."

"You don't know," she said, and then she looked at him. She realized at once that he _did_ know. She sank down into the easy chair and her father sat in the recliner, a magazine propped on his knee.

John Eames wondered if the two young people in his house would ever admit how much they loved each other.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Bobby awoke 12 hours later, the sun was already starting to set again. He forced his protesting muscles to get him up and out of bed. He'd been to Alex's father's house a few times in the past, and he easily made his way from the guest room to the kitchen.

Within a few minutes, Alex was there, too. "Can I get you something?" she asked him.

"I was just… looking for a snack," Bobby answered.

"Sit down. You're going to need more than a snack." Alex pulled the fresh leftovers out of the fridge: pork chops, peas, and sweet potato fries. She warmed it all and set a plate in front of her partner, who was waiting patiently at the table.

"How are you feeling?" Alex asked him.

He sighed. "Sore."

"Logan went home today. He said you saved his life."

"I just… took him for a swim."

Alex set a glass of iced tea in front of him and sat down across from him at the table. She studied him compassionately. Logan had told her enough. She could only imagine how long Bobby swam in the waves, supporting Logan's weight. It was a wonder he could move at all.

"I slept all day?" Bobby asked.

"You needed it."

"Ross-"

"Forget about it. He's put you on sick leave for at least the next three days, more if you want it."

"I can go in tomorrow," Bobby said.

"Not unless you're planning to walk," Alex replied, and the look on her face was determined. "I'm off tomorrow, too," she offered.

"You're not sick," Bobby complained.

Alex raised her hand to her mouth and gave a weak, unconvincing cough. Then she smiled a sly smile, and the corners of his mouth turned up, too. She smiled again at the sight of his empty plate, and caught him massaging his own neck and arms. Alex took away his dishes and returned with a handful of ointments. "Tiger Balm, Arnica Gel, or Ben-Gay?" She asked him.

He took the Tiger Balm from her hand and unscrewed the lid. The odor was powerful, but kind of sweet.

"Take your shirt off," she commanded.

Bobby's eyes met hers, in unspoken protest.

"Bobby, let me. You can't reach everywhere, anyway. Let me help you."

Slowly, he pulled off the sweatshirt. He closed his eyes, letting the fragrance of the oil fill his nostrils as she worked. He groaned with relief at every kneading movement of her fingers.

She worked the balm into the skin of his shoulders, then moved up his neck. Bobby leaned forward as she worked and ended up with his head resting on folded arms on the table. She extracted more of the ointment and spread it out over his back, then worked it in with long, firm strokes.

"You're falling asleep," she told him.

Bobby rolled his head to one side, keeping his eyes shut. Alex was pleased to find a smile on his lips. She caressed his bare skin and said, "Go on back to your room. I'll finish the job in there."

He slowly got up and walked stiffly back to the bedroom.

"Pants," she reminded him before he climbed into the bed. "Your legs are sore, too."

He stared at her as he unfastened his jeans and easily dropped them to the floor. Then he crawled onto the mattress, shoved the covers to one side, and lay on his stomach, waiting.

Alex held the little jar in her left hand and crawled overtop of him. She ran her fingers over the places she'd already been, working at the new knots that had appeared. Then she dipped her finger into the jar and gave the muscles of his arms some attention. She stopped just short of the bandage on his left hand.

Bobby moaned with delight. Alex turned herself around, sitting on the small of his back as she worked the ointment into the back of his thighs. She pressed in with her thumbs, and suddenly, he jumped.

"Did that hurt?!" She asked him, suddenly stopping.

"No," he said, his voice muffled against the mattress. "Tickled."

Alex grinned and continued her work, careful not to hit that spot again. She moved forward and worked all the way down his legs, then told him to turn over.

Bobby rolled onto his back, but held out his hand for the medicine. "I-I can do the rest," he said. He knew if he allowed this to go any farther, he was bound to have a reaction to her touch that he wouldn't be able to keep a secret.

"Bobby," she protested. She gave him a disapproving glance and smoothed her hand up and down against his shin, digging in where the muscle touched the bone.

Bobby groaned. His muscles cried out for more, and he was terrified of letting her continue. "Eames," he said, trying to stop her.

"You'd let a nurse do it," she complained.

"A nurse wouldn't be… you."

Alex climbed carefully off of him and went to the bedroom door. She closed it firmly and very obviously turned the lock. Then she turned to face Bobby again. "Whatever happens at Dad's, stays at Dad's."

Looking into her eyes, Bobby could see that it was a joke… and it wasn't. She walked back to the bed and got on her knees beside him. "I just want to help you, Bobby. If anything happens… I won't look, okay?" Even as she said it, her eyes slipped quickly over the bulge in his boxers.

He sighed, wanting to ask her not to, but wanting even more to feel her hands against his skin. Without another word, she started working the greasy medicine into his legs again.

Bobby gave up the battle. He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the sensations. She moved up, and spent a long time on his thighs. He was able to enjoy it, forgetting his worries. Then her hands slid upward, and he moaned as his blood diverted itself to his privates.

She didn't touch him there; only carefully worked on his legs and then moved her hands up and stuck her thumbs into the waistband of his boxers. She massaged his abdomen, then his chest and sides, then returned to work the front side of his shoulders.

He was aching with desire, especially when she straddled him, her crotch over his, allowing her to lean into his chest and shoulders. Soft moans escaped him, but he made no move to stop her. Her ministrations felt incredible, and he was simply savoring the moment.

At last, her hands stopped moving. She rested her right hand against the side of his neck and studied his pleased and relaxed face. She got off of him, then gently straightened the covers over him. "Get some rest, Bobby. I'll see you in the morning."

He heard her screwing the cap back on the jar, heard the thump as she set it on the nightstand. He didn't budge. He was completely relaxed. He listened as she unlocked the door, and heard it click when it latched again.

* * *

Alex headed straight for the shower. Her body was throbbing and wet and her hands were full of the stinky ointment. As the water started to run over her neck and shoulders, she closed her eyes. She was glad she'd been able to help him without giving in to her desire. She wondered how long she could keep it up.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Bobby joined her and her father the next morning for coffee, he was walking a little more easily.

"Good morning, Bobby," Alex's father said cheerfully. "I hope you're feeling better."

"Yes sir, I am, thank you." The words were for her father, but the look of gratitude was for Alex. Bobby glanced out the window. "At least I didn't sleep the day away."

"I'm going for my run," Alex announced. "Bobby, Ross called last night. He said for you to give him a call this morning."

* * *

"Captain?"

"Goren, how are you?"

"Better, sir. Still pretty sore."

"Good. Listen, I've been buffering you from the Feds, and I'll gladly continue to do it, but I just want you to know they're not happy. Even though I told them everything you told me, they seem to think they'll get more out of you in person."

"I could c-come in," Bobby offered.

"No. I want you to get some rest. They'll most likely catch up with you in the next couple of days, anyway. Don't be surprised if they do."

"Yes, sir."

"Take it easy, Goren. You deserve a break."

Bobby hung up the phone and headed off for the shower. He carefully unwrapped his left hand and moved it slowly, testing it. It did seem better than before, but he still had a lot of pain when he moved his hand down. Bobby sighed and got in the shower.

After he finished, he changed back into his jeans and sweatshirt, the only clothes he had at Alex's father's house. He found Alex's comb and combed his hair, then he found an unopened toothbrush in her stuff and brushed his teeth. Bobby carried the ace bandage with him into the living room. He sat down and wound it carefully into a roll, but even though he tried wrapping his own wrist, he couldn't get it right.

Alex was back. She came out of the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand.

Reluctantly, Bobby held the bandage in her direction. "Alex? Could you?"

Setting her drink on the table, she moved to sit beside him on the couch. Alex took the roll from his hand. He held his arm out to her, and she slowly and gently wound the stretchy material around his hand and his wrist. There was Velcro on the end of the roll, and she secured it in place with a pat of her hand. "Too tight?" she asked.

"I d-don't think so," Bobby replied. "Thanks, Eames."

"Anytime, Goren." Alex smiled at him, then, and Bobby grinned like schoolboy and looked away. He looked down at his hand, then up at her. "I, uh, I need to go get my xrays."

"You have an appointment?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. But I got xrays a few days ago, and I kept them, so I didn't want to get more when I was in the E.R."

Her face drew up tighter. If Bobby got the xrays while undercover and hid them somewhere, it would be dangerous for him to retrieve them. "I'll go with you," she said.

"Eames, uhm… I need some more clothes."

She gave him a smile. "We'll go shopping first."

It would be easier to go home and get some, but Bobby knew that the ATF agents would be waiting for him to show up there. He wasn't hiding anything from them, but the Captain was right: he needed his rest. He wasn't up to a full day of interrogation from them.

* * *

Bobby was now clad in a new, clean pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a windbreaker. He had a Yankees hat pulled down over his hair and a pair of sunglasses on. When he got out of the car, he gave careful thought to his posture. Bobby slipped his hands into the pockets of the jacket. "Oscar" would never have restrained himself that way.

Quickly, he and Eames hurried into the mailing store. Bobby got out his keys and found the one for his PO box, while Alex milled around the room, looking at the various items for sale. She moved her hand to her gun when she saw the man walk in and head straight for Bobby. She relaxed slightly when she saw Bobby's reaction to him.

They spoke quietly. "Glad to see you made it," Devin said.

"Thanks to you."

"The other one?"

"Logan's all right."

"You shouldn't be here." He allowed himself a quick glance at Eames.

"My partner, Eames," Bobby said. "I'm just picking up my x-rays," Bobby explained, pulling the large envelope out of the locker. He picked the key off the ring. "Your people are worried about you."

"They should be. I've been out of contact and they can't track me."

Bobby palmed the key and shook Devin's hand. "Now you have a link to us."

Devin slipped the key into his pocket without looking at it. "Don't come back here," he said.

"I'll send someone else."

"Glad you're okay, Oscar."

"Bobby," Goren corrected.

"Right, Bobby." Devin left as swiftly as he'd come.

Bobby went to the counter and got a backup key from the man working there. He handed it to Eames. "Now you can check our mail, too, honey," he told her with a wink.

She just smiled. Several minutes later, they were out the door and back in the car. Bobby hunched down in the seat so he couldn't be easily seen. "That was Devin," he said. "the ATF agent."

"Good to see he's all right."

"I have to go in, now. I have to tell them… about the mailbox."

Alex looked at him. She could see he was already tired from the things they'd done today, but she knew he was right. Devin's life was in danger. She nodded, and turned the car in the direction of 1PP.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Goren sat at the table in the large conference room, flanked by Ross on his left and Eames on his right. The ATF agents sat across from him, and while their body language was at ease, there was a bite in the tone of their words.

"Detective Goren, you knew we needed information and yet you have hidden from us for two days!"

The other one spoke up. "We could arrest you for that, take you into custody."

Ross leaned forward. "You arrest him, you arrest me. Detective Goren has been following my orders. He willingly shared all knowledge of the undercover operation with me, and I shared it with you. We've kept nothing from you. Now maybe you should decide whether your priority is satisfying this power trip you're on or taking care of your undercover agent."

First, Ross received a cold glare. Then he got a response. "That's exactly what we're trying to do. Since Goren and Logan returned, our man has been in the trenches alone. We've spent the last two days trying to find him."

"I found him today," Goren said, and everyone stared at him. "Or rather, he found me."

"Maybe you could, you know, take a walk in that neighborhood," Eames muttered sarcastically.

"That's why I had to come in," Bobby said. "I went to this parcel store. I-uh, I got a PO box there the other day and dropped the xrays of my hand in there, in case I needed them later. Eames and I went there to pick them up today, and Devin came in. I gave him the key." Bobby held the gaze of the federal agents. "You have a way to get to him now." Bobby tilted his head toward his partner. "Eames can be your courier."

The agents shared a look, and Bobby continued. "You might want to start by giving him a new lighter."

The agents said nothing in front of the MCS team, but then began to review everything Bobby had already shared with Ross. After an hour and a half, they had gathered nothing new, and Eames could tell her partner was getting frustrated. She put her left hand over Bobby's right wrist. "He has an appointment at 4:30. We need to get going, Bobby."

Stiffly, he got up and followed her out. Ross hung back to share a few more words with the agents, then angrily went to his office.

* * *

In the car, Bobby held his hand up in the air. It was throbbing again, and after the two hour session with the feds, so was his head. "Thanks, Eames," he said quietly.

"I can't believe those guys. I mean, we were doing them a favor, trying to help them help Devin, and all they wanted to do was interrogate you over crap they already knew?"

"They were just doing their jobs. Trying to make sure I didn't leave anything out."

"We're cops. They should trust us."

Bobby understood why they'd done it, but he was in no mood to argue. Truth be told, Alex understood it, too. She just hated to see Bobby suffering. She pulled into the parking structure for the medical center and brought the car to a stop. They walked together into the office.

* * *

After another hour and a half, Bobby came out with his hand in a cast and a sour look on his face. He got into the passenger seat and slammed the door.

Alex frowned. She wanted to say something, to encourage him, but she had the feeling that any words she said would spark an explosion. She paused, studying him: the weariness in his face, and the cast that went from the first knuckles of his fingers all the way to the middle of his forearm. She paused a little too long.

"Just take me home, Eames," he snapped. He would regret it later, but at this moment, he couldn't shake his mood.

She paused, and when the apology didn't come, she put the key in the ignition. "Sure, Bobby."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Logan said. "He broke his _hand_… on my _face_?"

Alex nodded.

"Geez, I'm gonna have to talk to that guy."

"Well, I'd wait a while if I were you. He thought it was just sprained, but after a new x-ray from another angle, he found out differently. He's pretty pissed about it."

"It wasn't any fun for me, either, sweetheart."

"He was just trying to tell you, you know… that they'd made you. Couldn't you see that?" She asked.

Reluctantly, Mike nodded. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure. Goren had a lot to drink that day." He reached up and touched the sore spot on his head. "Hindsight, right?"

Alex touched his arm. "How are you, Mike?"

He gave her a smile. "I'm all right. Ready to go back to work, but Ross says to take another day. I still don't really know what happened. I guess getting clocked on the head will do that."

Alex joined him on his couch and filled him in, telling him about Devin and the tracking device.

"No wonder ATF has been beating down my door."

"Ross didn't want Bobby talking to them."

"They were here every fricking day, until today."

She told him about the PO box and Bobby's interrogation.

"No wonder."

"I'm gonna go back, check on him. Do you need anything?"

Mike shook his head. "I'm fine."

"We're off tomorrow, too. Maybe you should join us. We can figure out how to help Devin."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before she left.

* * *

Alex knocked softly, then used her key to let herself in. Bobby got himself up and peered at her from his bedroom door, then went back to the bed. She walked as far as the doorway and leaned against the wooden molding of the doorframe.

She folded her arms and stared at him. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Eames, I'm sorry I snapped at you."

She shrugged. "I'm over it. How's the hand?"

"Still broken."

"Still hurting?"

"No, that's better."

"Did you eat?"

"Yeah."

"I saw Logan."

"How is he?"

"He looks good. He's coming over tomorrow to meet with us." She walked in and sat down beside him on the bed, her toes touching the floor. Alex put her hand against the muscle that stretched from his neck to his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Bobby gasped.

"You're all tight again," she said, kneading her fingers into his skin. Alex kicked off her shoes and turned more towards him. "Lie down, I'll work out the kinks for you."

The protest was at the edge of his tongue, but Bobby looked into her eyes and his body remembered the power of her touch. He felt her hands tugging his shirt up and he quickly pulled it over his head and tossed it on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He lay on his stomach, and she could see through the leg of his shorts that he had on no underwear. She climbed over him, sitting on his behind as she stretched out her arms and worked the muscles of his neck and shoulders. He was very tense at first, until he pushed the pillow out of the way and laid his head against the mattress.

Alex's mind wandered as her hands massaged his muscles. He'd been under for three weeks, and it had been very hard for her. There had been very little word from him the first two weeks, and then none the last. They'd heard more from Logan, until a few days before the fight.

She slid her hands down to rub his back, and a powerful urge to cry swelled in her chest. She took a deep breath and buried the feeling. He was back, in one piece, and that was all that mattered.

She leaned against her arms and pressed her palms against his back, moved them, and repeated the motion. Before she got to his legs, he rolled over. She straddled his legs and let her hands rest at her sides while she waited for him to speak.

"Something's on your mind," he said quietly. "You, uh… the rhythm…your hands… gave you away."

One side of her mouth turned up. "I'm just glad you're okay, Bobby."

She had no idea of the effect she had on him. When she spoke, something inside Bobby snapped and his mind was flooded with compassionate thoughts. He knew, in spite of her, exactly what she'd been thinking.

When she picked up his right hand with her left, he gave it to her freely.

"You know, sometimes… I guess I just need to learn not to take things… people… for granted." Alex stared down at his hand while she spoke, her thumb making circles against his palm. "You," she corrected herself. "I shouldn't take you for granted."

Bobby raised his right hand higher, and she let go. He tucked his fingers into her hair and she bent closer as he settled his hand against the back of her neck. Gently, he guided her down and kissed her.

Alex's heart pounded in her ears. She'd dreamed of his kiss for so long, but this wasn't right, was it? His lips released hers and she stared into his eyes. Everything about Bobby's face conveyed one message: _I want you._ With her heart still pounding wildly, Alex bent down, kissing him again.

Bobby wrapped both arms around her back. He pulled his left hand away as he realized how harsh the cast must feel against her. The kiss lingered, and he suddenly felt very, very happy. Every movement of Alex's body told him she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He could feel her weight on his crotch, but he forced his mind to attend to her kiss. He wanted to record each new sensation she gave him in his mind.

She broke away and sat up, fully aware of the change that had occurred underneath her hips. He stayed perfectly still, waiting to see what she would do next. His eyes were soft and amorous, and although she thought of a hundred things to say, she couldn't remember how to speak.

Alex smoothed her hands down his bare chest and realized she was still dressed. She reached up and loosened the top button of her shirt, and felt his hand against her side. He bumped her with his cast, and pulled that hand away. She continued to unbutton her shirt, and he gathered the fabric into his right fist an inch at a time until one breast, tastefully concealed by her bra, jutted out at him. She slipped the shirt back over her shoulders and he let go.

He touched her abdomen with the palm of his right hand, and carefully smoothed it up, fingertips against the wire of her bra. Then he slid it back down to the gentle curve that started near her belly button.

Alex's hands went to her jeans, and she loosed the button and unzipped them quickly. She slowly eased off of him and rolled to her back while she stripped the pants off. When she turned to her side to look at him, she saw he was exploring her body with his eyes.

Bobby rolled to one side and reached out with his left hand. He saw the cast and slowed. He let the tips of his fingers, just peeking out of the plaster, trace her skin at the waistband of her bikini underwear.

Alex saw his disappointment as he remembered his impaired hand, and she moved forward to kiss him again. In the passion of the kiss, she stretched out on top of him and then rolled back off on his other side.

He scooted over in the bed, giving her more room, and turned toward her again. Now he moved his right hand over her curves, pressing the softer places with his fingers, concentration broken at times when she interrupted his movements with more kissing.

It was just chance that she caught the trace of pain in his face. "What's wrong?" She whispered urgently.

"Nothing," he breathed, kissing her again.

She pulled away and held his arm still. She searched his face. "Something's wrong."

Bobby frowned. As his body reacted in desire, his hand had slowly started to swell. It was now throbbing, and as much as he wanted to ignore it, it looked like she wasn't going to let him. "M-my hand," he admitted.

She took his casted hand between hers and looked at it carefully. "Your fingers are turning blue," she told him. In an instant, Alex transformed from lover to caregiver. "Sit up," she said. He sat up until his back was against the headboard. She held his hand up as high as his chin. "Keep it up like this. I'll be right back."

Bobby raised his left knee and rested his elbow against it, propping his hand up in the air. It already felt slightly better. The pressure was easing off. She brought in a glass of water and a bottle of ibuprophin and he swallowed three pills down.

"Don't look at me like that," he said quietly. "It's not a big deal."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

On the one hand, he was disgusted with his broken hand, and how it had put a halt to their romantic activities. On the other, he was sitting in his bed watching a movie with his arm around Eames, and that was…nice.

She had changed into one of his t-shirts, and it hung long and loose on her tiny frame. He could feel the heat of her bare legs against his, and that was a sensation he was enjoying, as well. He still rested his left elbow on his knee, still had his casted hand elevated. He kept dozing off, and the weight of the cast caused his hand to fall and wake him.

Eames caught his hand this time, and he woke to find her face inches from his, her eyes searching his. "You're tired," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"How's your hand?"

"Better."

She leaned her body forward, freeing his right hand from around her shoulders. "Lie down, Bobby. Get some sleep." She must have seen the disappointment on his face, because she spoke again. "I'll stay right here."

He gave her a hint of a smile, then obediently scooted down into the covers until he was flat on his back. He rested his broken hand over his chest and after she got comfortable sitting up against the headrest, with a smile he snuck his right hand over to her thigh.

Alex smiled, too. She liked the way his hand felt against her skin. "Good night, Bobby," she whispered.

"G'night," he mumbled.

* * *

It wasn't even 4 a.m. when he woke, a little too early to call it a morning salute. Her hand was resting against his abdomen, and it was all he could do not to turn and pull her close, devouring her with kisses.

Instead, Bobby lay perfectly still, counting between each gentle breath she exhaled, registering the tiny twitches of her fingers against his stomach. Never had he dreamed he would find himself this close to Eames, this intimate with her.

She sighed and turned onto her back, her right hand lying relaxed on the pillow beside her face. He turned to his side, leaving the rough cast to rest against his hip, and caressed her with his eyes. Even with his shirt covering her, he could easily make out the shape of her breasts, soft and relaxed beneath the fabric.

Finally, Bobby got out of bed to take care of morning necessities. He swallowed a few ibuprophin while he was at it, hoping to ward off the throbbing that was already starting beneath the plaster. He retrieved his t-shirt off the floor, and saw that she had rolled to her side again. Bobby paused, studying her from this new perspective. Without thinking, he reached out and petted her hair.

Alex's eyes opened, and she sat up quickly, blinking away sleep. "What are you doing?" she asked, not quite fully alert.

"S-sorry," Bobby said, withdrawing his hand.

"No, wait," she said, reaching out for his hand. She was remembering now. Something was different now. Something had changed, yesterday… last night. Bobby hesitantly gave her his hand. Alex gave him an apologetic smile. "Good morning," she said.

Bobby smiled and sat down on the mattress, his feet still on the floor. "Morning," he replied.

She ran one hand along his arm, stopping at his cast. "How's your hand?"

"It's okay," he said with a shrug.

Alex got onto her knees and moved closer to him. She carefully placed her arms on his shoulders. "Let's try this again," she said. Reaching out, she touched her lips to his. "Good morning," she said, drawing back from the kiss.

Now he grinned. He eased closer to her and offered her another, longer kiss. "Good morning," he said.

She ran her hand along his thick chest hair. They kissed again, and Bobby dropped the shirt back on the floor. His hand slid gently up her side and just touched the swell of her breast. Alex moaned and the kiss lingered on, parting long enough only for each of them to draw a breath.

His right hand continued to explore, the cotton of the shirt bunching up and falling away with the motions. Her own hands freed themselves from his chest hair and eased around his ribcage until she was holding tightly to his back.

Slowly, his hands moved, encircling her. She felt the cast, but it did not hurt. Their lips separated, and Bobby pressed his forehead against hers. For a moment, neither had words.

"I… I haven't made the coffee yet," he said.

Alex smiled, and then laughed. "Who cares?" She said, kissing him deeply. When they broke apart again, he was smiling too.

They made out a while longer, but every time Bobby tried to move things along, he tried with his left and was stopped by the cast. He became more and more frustrated, and finally pulled away from her. Not wanting to give her the wrong idea, he cupped her face in the palm of his right hand and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips before he stood and walked two steps away.

"I'll start some breakfast," he said, without looking at her. Then he walked out of the room.

Alex was no fool. She knew exactly why he stopped, exactly what was bothering him. With a heavy sigh, she leaned back in the bed and tried to put out the fire that had been building inside her.

* * *

"Damn it smells good in here," Logan said, as Alex let him into Bobby's apartment. "Did I miss breakfast?"

"Sit down," Bobby said. "I'll get you a plate."

His original intention had been to make omelets, but again, without the use of his left hand, he couldn't pull it off. Instead, he and Alex had eaten scrambled eggs with vegetables mixed in. He quickly made Logan a batch of the same.

When Bobby set the plate in front of him, Mike caught him by the cast and whistled. "It's really true," he muttered, before letting go.

"I… uh… I'm sorry about your tooth, Mike."

Mike ran his tongue along his gums. "No hard feelings. Besides, I'm thinking you got the worst end of that deal, after all."

"It's your hard head," said Eames. "Anybody else's jaw would have given before Goren's hand."

They chuckled, then Goren asked, "How is your head?"

Mike reached up, touching the stitches that were hidden by his hair. "Pretty good. I finally woke up without a headache today." He looked up at Goren then, pure gratitude in his eyes, but he said nothing. He would be indebted to Goren forever. He had saved his life.

* * *

A/N Thanks to everyone who has been readingand reviewing! At this point, a few reviews would do a lot to get me kick-started again. Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"They'll get us to slip a tracking device to him, surely."

"They know I have the key, and nobody's called me yet," Alex said.

Mike pressed his lips together angrily. "They've had since yesterday to set something up. What the hell? They're just gonna leave him to the wolves?"

"Devin's been in a long time," Goren said thoughtfully. "He might be better off the less contact anyone makes with him."

"Before we can figure out what to slip him, maybe we better dig into what we know. Information might be more important than techno gadgets, at this point," Alex suggested.

The three glanced around at each other. "We know Powers ordered the hit," Bobby said, "But I never could pin down exactly who did it."

"I'd put my money on that goon who drove us into the sea."

"Devin wouldn't…" Alex mused.

"Of course not," Bobby said quickly. To be honest, though, he had no idea if Devin would kill while undercover. Bobby wondered for a moment if he would, and he remembered the time when he'd been under suspension and the Chief of D's gave him an undercover job as his only ticket out. He'd almost done cocaine, to save his own ass. And he'd come damn close to killing a man. If Alex and the others hadn't burst in and busted them when they did, Bobby really wasn't sure if he would have done it or not.

He felt her hand on his arm and he snapped back to the present. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Thinking."

"What exactly is his role in the group?" Alex asked Bobby.

"He's the… organizer. If they need a place, he gets one. He's the… the event planner. He sends the invitations, makes sure all the right players are there, picks the place, picks the time…" With that, his mind went back to that moment when he had Logan wrapped around his shoulders and Devin caught him trying to leave… Had he been the one to inform Powers?

Bobby shook away the thought. It didn't matter. He'd been the one to give them the tracking device that brought Alex and the others to them. Devin had tried to help, and that was what mattered.

"He's going to need to be able to contact us as much as we need to contact him," Logan said. "If he knows _all the players_ are going to be in one room, that's our chance to nail them."

"We still don't have the weapon used in the killings," Bobby said.

"So we slip him what he needs, and maybe he can get us what we need. And we make sure he knows without a doubt that he has this lifeline and we'll back him up even if ATF drags their feet about it." Alex wiped her hair back out of her eyes. The others agreed with her, silently nodding.

* * *

Alex left Logan and Goren in the deli down the street and went in to the squad to find out the latest that was going on.

Logan watched Goren dip his potato chips in the dressing that had dripped out of his sandwich and eat them. "I'm sorry," he said.

Goren's head jerked up and he stared at Logan. "What the hell for?"

"That whole undercover job just fell apart. Every day, they shoved me farther away, and I'm sorry."

"Luck of the draw. Forget about it." He ate another bite of his sandwich. "I'm just glad we're out of there." Bobby's eyes fell on his cast, and he found himself thinking about Alex. The cast didn't even allow for movement of his fingers. He wouldn't be able to use his sidearm, even right handed, until it healed.

"I'm sorry about that, too, man," Mike said, following Goren's eyes to his broken hand.

"Ah, it's just…" Goren became flustered and waved Mike's words away with his unbound hand. "You'll have to back her up for me," he finally managed to say.

"Sure," Mike promised, his eyes steady and sincere.

* * *

Alex met with Ross first, and though his body language was reserved, his words were free and honest. "I don't think those shits are even going to try and get their man out of there."

Alex was surprised. She remained silent, listening.

"It's almost like they see him on some kind of suicide mission or something. I did manage to get this from them." He set the lighter down on his desk where she could reach it. "How are you going to get in and out of there?"

Alex picked up the new tracking device and turned it over in her hands. "I'll just walk in and make the drop, then head back out. I can make a daily check part of my routine, it would be within the parameters of what the parcel store sees every day."

"Back up?"

"Bobby—"

"You said Goren's hand is broken."

"Yes, sir, it is."

Ross frowned and shook his head. "I'm going to have to put him on desk until it's healed."

"Sir—"

"Eames, what if, God forbid, he needs to use his weapon?" Her brow furrowed. "You know your training. It takes two hands."

"Logan can back me up."

"They know him."

"They think he's dead." She offered the Captain a hopeful smile. "Maybe we can… help them keep thinking that."

Minutes later, Ross was on the phone and Alex was on her way to Mitchell's desk for an update on tracking down the guns they were trying to sell to Powers.

* * *

Alex sat snuggled against Bobby's side. He removed his arm from her shoulder long enough to pick up his beer bottle and drain it dry. Setting it down, he settled back into the couch. The evening news was rattling on, coming from the tv in front of them.

"…two of New York's finest are missing. A car was retrieved from the Long Island sound. The two detectives are believed to have been in the vehicle when it went into the water. No bodies have been found, and NYPD reports that while they are continuing the investigation into their disappearance, they currently have no leads into the events leading up to this tragedy."

Bobby looked over at Alex. "So now I'm dead?"

She nodded. "You and Logan. They won't be looking for ghosts."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Alex tried to heat things up when they went to bed, but Bobby said he was tired. He kissed her afterward, as if to tell her it wasn't her; it wasn't that he didn't want to…

His back was to her, and she gently ran the back of her hand up and down his warm skin. She stared at the ceiling, thinking.

He was frustrated. He was self-conscious about it because of his hand. As her mind wandered, her hand pushed against him.

"Sorry," he whispered, and scooted away from her.

She looked over at him, surprised, then let her hand relax against her chest. She tried to put herself in his place, but she couldn't imagine that a cast on her hand would bother her that much, or keep her from anything she really wanted.

She sighed quietly. She wasn't Bobby. She wasn't a man, with all the pressures of performance they had programmed into them as teenagers. She was a woman, who, now that she knew what her heart wanted, intended to go after it. She also had a very different personality than him. When Alex set her mind to something, nothing would stop her. Bobby wasn't like that. He often stalled in pursuit of his goals. He would persist, and eventually get there, but he always had to wrestle down his demons along the way.

She turned to her side and threw an arm over him, hugging him. "I like being close to you, Bobby," she said.

Bobby may have said he was tired, but he was wide awake. He liked the feel of her arm around him, but he knew what was really behind her words, and he felt lousy. He let out a long, slow, sigh. "I wish I could give you more," he said.

She raised her body and rested her head on his bicep. "What?"

He closed his eyes, feeling miserable all over again. "You deserve more," he whispered.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Her aggravation cut through the silence of the room. "It's just a broken hand, Bobby. You have another one. It's not like you're in a fucking coma or something."

He got to his feet and turned to face her. "No, thank God it's only a broken hand! My fucking _left_ hand, the one I've been doing everything with since I was fucking _born_! Excuse me for wanting to be able to make you feel…never mind!" He grabbed his pillow and stormed out of the bedroom.

Alex smacked her hand against the mattress. "Shit!"

* * *

Goren was folded into the sofa as well as a man of his size could be. He was on his side, with a throw blanket reaching as high as his hips. He'd given up on sleeping and was staring at the electrical socket on the opposite side of the room.

She would leave him now, he was sure of that. No woman would try to have a relationship with an asshole like him. Maybe he could still convince her to stay as his partner. They could just pretend they'd never kissed, never crossed that line—

"Bobby?"

He sat up quickly, jolted from his thoughts by the sound of her voice.

"I'm sorry." They both said it at once, and both were surprised to hear it from the other.

"I didn't mean to—"

"I shouldn't have—"

They stumbled over each other's words. With a quiet laugh, they both said, "You first."

Bobby gestured to her, and finally was able to speak in solo. "You first," he said again.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Alex said. "I know it must be frustrating, trying to do everything with the wrong hand. I guess I just didn't understand how you were feeling."

"I'm sorry, too, Alex." He knocked the pillow to the floor and invited her to sit on his right side. "I should never have spoken to you like that, no matter how frustrated I am."

As she sat down, he took her left hand in his right. "I… I…" Overwhelmed by the number of thoughts racing through his mind, he was unable to say any of it. "I'm sorry," he said again. He had to give her the chance to walk out on the romance with no second thoughts.

Alex tugged on his hand until he let her raise it to her lips. She kissed him there. "Don't give up on us yet, Bobby." She was surprised when he reached down and kissed her hard.

His words finally came, phrases and sentences filling the brief moments their mouths weren't pressed together. "I want you, Alex… I want to make you feel… special… You're so special to me… I just want to make love to you…. I want it to be the best you've ever… had…"

"Shut up, Bobby," Alex said.

He wasn't as smooth with his right hand. His cast bumped her; she had to help him removing clothes. But when he finally felt Alex over him, joined with him, he was able to fully satisfy her.

In the morning, he was torn between wanting to let her continue in her peaceful sleep and wanting to take her in his arms and make love to her again. A glance at the clock convinced him he could do neither.

Bobby leaned over her and kissed her temple. "It's 6:00," he said, and Alex groaned and stretched under him. He started to move away, but she caught him by the arm and brought him back long enough to greet him with a kiss.

"Good morning, Bobby."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bobby wasn't sure if he could make it through the evening. At 4:00, he'd said goodbye to Eames and she'd headed over to the parcel store. Logan got a haircut and a trilby hat, and was hunkered down in a car a block away, in case anything should go wrong.

Bobby was stuck at 1PP with nothing to do but worry. Maybe it was because of their intimacy the night before, but he was finding it intolerable that he couldn't back her up. Bobby ran his hand through his hair, got to his feet, and went for a walk.

* * *

She carried her weapon with her, wearing a windbreaker long enough to hang down past the holster and conceal it. Alex mentally registered everything on the way to the store: every building, every car, every face. If this was going to be her routine time, she was going to be aware if anything was out of the ordinary.

She yanked the door open and was rewarded with the tinkling of the bells. She saw the worker respond to the sound, coming in from the back and sitting at the counter. It was the same man who'd been there the other day. She smiled at him and nodded her head in greeting.

Then she opened the PO Box, found it empty, and slipped an envelope inside. She locked it shut and went back out into the street. Again, on the walk back to the car, she mentally catalogued everything she saw. She quickly got into the driver's seat and they pulled away from the neighborhood. Mike sat up and removed the hat once they were safely away.

"Anything?" He asked her.

"No. I just made the drop. Hopefully he'll check it soon."

"We'll find out tomorrow."

"Yeah."

* * *

She returned the car to the fleet and reserved it for the same time the next day. It was an unassuming old sedan, something that would never stand out in that neighborhood. As she'd checked the cars on the street, she'd been proud of Mike's choice. Even the smallest thing could be the thing that drew the line between life and death in a situation like this.

Once the vehicle was returned, she headed upstairs. Her phone rang in the elevator.

"Eames."

"Goren's not here."

She pinched her temples between her fingers. "I'll find him, thanks Mike." Alex ended the call and dialed her partner. He answered on the first ring.

"Eames, how'd it go?" He asked, but only just managed to hide the worry he felt.

"Fine, just a dead drop. I don't know if he's been back there yet. Where the hell did you go?"

"Oh… uh… I'm on the roof. I'll come down, meet you at the squad."

"Okay."

She came in and stood over her desk, organizing the files for the night and getting everything ready for tomorrow. She knew when he'd returned; she just felt him looming behind her.

"You ready?" he asked her.

She glanced over at Ross' office and saw he was gone. Then she turned to Bobby. "Yeah," she said.

* * *

Alex watched him move as he worked in the kitchen. They'd come to her place tonight, to give her a chance to pack some clean clothes and just have some time in her own space.

Bobby was cooking them dinner, and although he knew his way around her kitchen, she could tell by the way he moved that something was off. She stealthily entered and sat in a kitchen chair.

At one point, he turned, looked at her as if to speak, then changed his mind and turned back to the stove. Her mind churned as she watched him. Was he having regrets about last night? It certainly wasn't the most romantic beginning for them, starting things off with make-up sex… Then again, it was the time afterward, in his arms, that had meant the most to her. She'd never seen Bobby so peaceful as he was last night. Maybe it was just a chemical thing, his body's reactions to the endorphins in his system… but it really seemed more to her.

"Hell of a way to relax," he said finally.

She answered him with a speechless stare.

Bobby waved his hand around, gesturing to the room. "It's just… not so comfortable, maybe you'd feel better on the couch."

She took her time responding to him. She knew her partner. He could read complete strangers and comprehend everything from their choice of earrings to the reason they sat with their left crossed over their right. He knew damned well why she was in the kitchen.

"Something's bothering you," she said, deciding that was better than _don't tell me where to sit in my own damn house._

He was motionless for a moment, and that scared her. Almost as quickly, Bobby turned back to the stove and served up two bowls of soup. He set one in front of her and returned with his own. Then he collected two spoons and she got them both a beer from the fridge.

"Is it last night? Do you regret—"

"Jesus, no, Alex!" He said. He held her hand a moment, convincing her with a steady stare. Then he let go and used his hand to gesture. "It's nothing. I'll be fine, really."

There was a brief interlude while they sampled the soup. Alex's mind was still going, though. She just couldn't let it go. "Good soup, Bobby," She said quietly, postponing what she wanted to say.

He smiled sweetly and swallowed a few more spoonfuls. Watching Alex, he could see she was still bothered.

"I… I guess I just… internalize these things."

"Alex, you've known me for years."

She looked up at him. "But not like this."

He stared at her a moment, balking at the idea that one night of intimacy could change her. He caught himself mid-thought. It had certainly changed him.

She spoke before he had the chance to. "I guess when I'm close to someone… and they're upset… I always take some kind of responsibility in that. You know, either it's because of something I've said or done… or it's my job to make the other person feel better."

He cleared his throat. Being honest with her was as uncomfortable as eating rocks, but he knew he had to tell her. "I… I was worried about you."

This wasn't what she expected. She stared at him.

"Today, when you made the drop. I…" He looked down at the spoon in his hand. "I know you can take care of yourself. I just… I couldn't be there to make sure of that. I didn't like it."

"That's it?!" She finally asked, a smile at her lips.

He shrugged in that shy way of his. His honesty was rewarded when he saw her fully relax and dig in to her soup.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Although the cast was supposed to be waterproof, they'd been advised to put plastic over it before he took showers. Alex slipped a rubber band up his arm and secured the plastic in place. Then she kissed his cheek. "Call me if you need anything," she said.

Goren liked a challenge as much as anyone, maybe even more. But trying to manage everything with one hand was almost too much for him. He popped the shampoo bottle open with his teeth and managed to set it down and lather up before the stuff oozed into his eyes. He draped the washcloth over a couple of bottles until he got enough soap applied for it to be of use. He found a way, actually to get all of it done without asking for help. But in spite of his success, he was in a foul mood.

After he dried off, he looked at himself in the mirror. The beard was looking rough. He hadn't shaven for four days, and even if he wanted to keep a beard, he needed to give it some attention. Bobby found his razor in his overnight bag and held it uncomfortably in his right hand. This sucked.

"Bobby? You all right in there?" Alex asked. The water had stopped running a long time ago.

He put the razor down and opened the door. "Uh… Alex? I… I could use your help."

She was there, cheerful and smiling. "What?" She asked him.

"I… uh… I need to shave," he said, nodding his head at the razor.

"Oh," she said, a little frightened at the prospect. "Don't you have an electric razor we could use?" She really didn't want to cut him.

"It's… it's at my place." He ran his hand over his whiskers. "I can try if you don't want to," he said, and reached for the razor.

Alex's hand stopped his. "No. I can do it. Sit down," she said, jerking her head toward the toilet.

Bobby closed the lid and sat down. "Uh, everything you need is in there… shaving cream…"

"I got it," Alex said. She wet a washcloth and handed it to him. He rubbed it over his face, and then she lathered him up. Bobby had to wipe some of it away so he could breathe. "Where should I start?" She asked.

He tilted his head and pointed to his cheek, showing her what direction he wanted her to go in. They proceeded this way carefully, and finally, the job was done. Bobby wiped his face again with the washcloth.

"Thank you," he said.

Alex sighed with relief. She rinsed the razor clean and set it down. "I need a drink," she said, and left the room before he could see how badly her hands were shaking.

Bobby found the aftershave and managed to splash it on. Then he cleaned up the mess as best he could.

* * *

Alex couldn't sleep. She was still tingling from making love to him. It seemed that sex relaxed most people, but for Alex, it often had the opposite effect. She was wide awake, and felt like she could run a marathon. If it weren't for the feel of his arm draped over her body and the comfort she took from his warmth and his scent, she would be up and out of the bed.

He was in a deep sleep. She could tell because of the slow, easy rhythm of his breathing, coupled with the gentle stillness of his limbs. It was nice to know she was the reason he could finally allow himself to relax. This was something she'd never seen before.

She'd seen him sleep, many times. They'd worked long hours together, and there had been lots of times one or the other of them had to crash for a few hours and let their partner take the lead. She'd seen him sleep in the car on road trips. He was never so completely settled as he was now, in her bed.

Alex turned toward him, disturbing him only slightly. His left arm moved and secured her firmly against him, the cast lying heavily against the mattress like an anchor for his arm.

Her hands were free in front of her, and she gently stroked his chest with the back of her fingers. It took a while, but she finally fell asleep.

* * *

With great reluctance, he rolled away from her and got out of bed. Nature called, and he was forced to obey her. He returned a few minutes later and contemplated staying up. It was almost 5, a good night's sleep for him. As he scanned her body he found he couldn't stay away. Bobby crawled back into bed beside her.

He tried to look and not touch, but his right hand was soon roaming along her skin. With a soft sigh, she rolled over, giving his hand new territory to explore. "Mmmmm," Alex said with a smile.

Bobby smiled, too. "So beautiful," he said quietly, his eyes following his hand along her contours.

She opened her eyes, and he kissed her. "Good morning."

"Mmmm," she replied, and kissed him again. "Be right back," she said and quickly slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. He watched her walk back, her naked body golden in the dim light of the room. Bobby sat up on his haunches, and when she started to climb into bed, he took her in his arms, sinking to his knees.

His lips searched their way down from her lips to her breasts. His cast still moved awkwardly against her, but by this time neither one of them paid any attention to it. He was gentle, and so the cast was not an issue.

She reached down and found his most tender part, coaxing him into full attention. His fingers assured him she was ready, too, and he allowed his lips to fall away from her and leaned back on his hands.

She climbed over him and carefully watched his expression as they linked together. He heaved upward and she relaxed over him until they fell into a rhythm they could both maintain.

She closed her eyes and arched back as he sped things up. Her own breath was heavy and rasping as she heard his catch and he stiffened, shuddering until his climax was complete. He fell back as far as his elbows, then managed to hold himself steady until they untangled from each other.

As they stretched out together in the bed, he reached his good arm around her and pulled her close. His lips touched the back of her arm, and he said, "I love you."

Alex's blood was rushing in her ears again. Those words were just as powerful to her as their act of love had been. She turned until she could see his face. He raised his head and she kissed him sweetly. "Bobby I love you too."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Several days had passed, and although Alex had checked the box faithfully, there was no contact from Devin. He had picked up the tracking device, and left the message in the box for Alex to dispose of. It was all up to Devin now. The only way to support him was to continue checking the box faithfully. It was his lifeline.

Bobby was still frustrated with his hand, but it wasn't hurting as much anymore, and for this they were both grateful. Alex smiled. He was getting very good at using his right hand, as far as she was concerned.

"Damn it!" She heard him say from the bedroom. Alex set her glass of wine down on the table and walked down the hall to see what was wrong.

He was standing, shirtless, with his hands against his head, as if he was ready to pull out his own hair.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked. She'd already seen this level of frustration many times in the last week.

"I'm just so… fucking tired of it!" He groaned. He turned to her. "I can't get the Goddamned button free," he said, gesturing to his pants.

She stepped closer and they both felt a surge as her fingers dipped into his waistband. She unfastened the button, but didn't step away. "You managed it all day, didn't you? I didn't hear Logan complaining about helping you in the bathroom or anything."

The joke could have rubbed him the wrong way, but he graced Alex with a weary smile. "I… I guess I'm just tired or something. Thanks." He fumbled with the zipper, and she helped him with that, too. Bobby stood stock still, barely breathing as he let her slip her hands into the denim and slowly slide them down. Her palms were heating up his skin, and he gasped when she suddenly kissed him, square in the middle of his chest.

She slid downward with the jeans and her cheek kept in contact with his skin until it rested against his boxers. Bobby's trembling hands moved to the crown of her head.

Alex moved against him, teasing him with her breath and the occasional nip. A moan escaped him.

Alex got to her feet again and met him with a deep kiss. "Still frustrated?" She asked, grinning.

"You have no idea," he breathed, and pawed her as he moved her to the bed.

* * *

Alex glanced over at Mike, who had just finished reading Devin's cryptic note. "Call Goren," she said.

He picked up the phone. "Bobby."

"Logan, everything okay?" He asked, too quickly.

"Sure, sure. Devin made a drop," he explained. "He says… 'Angel on the 44.' What the hell does that mean? Bus?"

"44th Street?" Alex asked.

"I'll look into it. I'll have something by the time you get back," Bobby promised.

* * *

They conferenced around Bobby's desk. He withdrew a photograph from his binder and slapped it down on the wood. "Angel Lozada. I saw him… maybe twice in the three weeks I was there."

"Yeah, I saw him once, too. The second night. He was waiting for Powers to meet with him."

Alex looked back and forth between the men. "Hit man?" Alex asked.

Bobby's shrug was non-committal. "Probably."

"Contracted?" She asked next.

He shook his head. "As far as I can tell, he's in the organization."

"He's pretty scarce. What the hell is he doing?"

Bobby glanced from Logan to Eames. "We know they're selling to terrorists. Maybe he's… their… international sales rep." Bobby said it with that sarcastic turn Alex was so accustomed to.

"All right," she said. "How about 'on the 44?'"

"Logan's right, could be bus. Could be Street, Avenue, or Circle. Could be day of the year. Could be—"

"All right, all right, I gotcha," Alex said. "Make me a list and I'll get us some help."

* * *

Another day passed, and no one had sighted Angel Lozada. Alex and Mike headed out to the parcel store, and Bobby put on his ball cap and headed out to the bus stop.

He saw Domingo exit, but he showed no signs of recognition as he got on the bus. Officers had been riding this bus steadily since yesterday, scouring the passengers for any sign of Lozada. Bobby walked slowly to the back and found a seat. He covered his face with his hand as the bus moved steadily toward Powers' neighborhood. At each stop, Goren's sharp eyes scrutinized the new passengers.

They were almost at the end of the line when a familiar figure boarded the bus. Bobby sat up. Without staring, he kept his eyes on Lozada as he pulled out his cell and texted Alex.

She was just leaving the shop when the phone buzzed. Alex read the message quickly and hurried across the street to the car.

"What is it?" Logan asked, sensing her urgency.

"Lozada's on the bus with Bobby." She pulled out into traffic, earning herself a horn blare for cutting someone off. They raced toward the end of the bus line, moving in and out of traffic as quickly as they could. Both knew Bobby had no means to take Lozada into custody, except for his words. They doubted words would do the job.

"How the hell we gonna play this?" Logan asked. "Bobby and I are dead, remember? We let him see us, and word'll get back to Powers, I guarantee it."

"I'll take him, then," Alex said.

"Then Devin's cut off again."

She spared him a glance out of the corner of her eye, and frowned.

"I'll do it," Mike said. "I'll tell Bobby to sit tight."

Alex parked sloppily in a loading zone and they both got out. Mike pulled his trilby down over his eyes and moved readily through the pedestrians toward the bus stop. As it pulled in, he rested his hand on the butt of his pistol. Alex stood by in the crowd, keeping one eye on him and one hand on her own gun.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mike held his badge in his hand and cleared a path to the steps of the bus. He climbed inside and Lozada stopped cold at the front of the vehicle. He recognized Logan right away. Stealthily, Bobby stood and made his way up the aisle, behind Angel. He pulled his cuffs out of his pocket.

Angel's eyes darted around the area in front of him. He knew the only way out was past Logan, but the man's weapon kept him still. Suddenly, Bobby grabbed his right wrist and brought it down, cuffing it.

Lozada made to swing his left behind him, but Logan caught it and wrenched it behind his back, where Bobby cuffed it immediately. "Mr. Lozada, you're under arrest for public indecency," Mike said, eyeing the man's droopy pants.

Angel groaned. "You're full of shit."

Mike and Bobby searched him quickly. They found a 9 millimeter pistol in a leg holster near his shoe.

"Got a conceal-carry permit?" Logan asked, but Angel just stared straight ahead, refusing to answer. Logan and Goren escorted him off the bus and down the street to a waiting squad car. They stuffed him in the back. Goren hung back out of Lozada's sight, and then climbed into the SUV with Alex and Mike.

"You think he saw me?" He asked.

"No, but I'm sure he caught a glimpse of your cast," Logan replied. "He's gonna suspect now, anyway. He recognized me. He knows I'm alive."

"Did he see you?" Bobby asked Alex.

She shook her head.

* * *

"Another ghost," Angel said as Bobby walked into interrogation. He was still cuffed, and Bobby waited while the uniformed officer unlocked them. Once free, Angel rubbed his wrists.

Bobby smiled and sat down. He studied the man. Lozada didn't miss anything. Bobby could see in his eyes that he had already categorized everything he'd seen, and was studying his broken hand carefully.

"You, uh, see something interesting?" Bobby asked, tilting his head lower until he regained eye contact.

"You broke your fingers too. It's like a giant mitten."

"Yeah, well, it's my giant mitten, nothing for you to worry about," Goren said, opening his binder with his right hand.

"You're left-handed," Angel said. "I remember."

"Mr. Lozada," Bobby placed photographs of the two murder victims in front of him, "Tell me what you know about this."

"No."

"Right now, Angel, we're inclined to pin this on you. Might be a good idea to talk to us," Logan chimed in from the doorway, where he'd just entered.

He sat back with a smile. "I got brought in because my pants were too loose. That's all I'm willing to talk about."

"We also found a weapon."

"I misplaced my permit. It'll turn up."

"Boxers or briefs?" Logan asked. "I see you chose boxers today. I bet with the cold weather you switch to briefs, right. If you've got your ass out to the wind, they'd be a little warmer."

"I liked the little pattern on them," Bobby said. "Maybe he has a pair with little guns all over them."

Logan chuckled. "Maybe we should search his place and find out."

Goren steadied his gaze at Lozada. "We can get a search warrant. Your nine mil is already being cross checked against the system. One hit and even if you manage to post bail, you won't be able to find a clean pair of underwear at your place."

"Fuck you."

Goren smiled and shrugged. "We're just talking about underwear, like you said."

"Get your fucking warrant. I'm not talking."

* * *

"He has a current passport and flights booked from here to Spain to UAE." Bobby was reviewing information with the Captain, who had just stopped by his desk. Alex and Mike were checking the PO box.

"You're not dead anymore," Ross said. "May as well play it up. Channel 6 will be here at 5:00 to interview you."

"Aw, Captain!"

"Look, Goren. They think they've got one on us, now they know you're alive. Take advantage of the chance to make them look bad. Piss them off. Maybe they'll get mad enough to make some mistakes."

"I just hope they don't punish Devin for it."

"That's the chance he took when he slipped you the tracking device. He knew what he was doing."

Bobby's phone buzzed on the desktop, and he quickly answered. "Everything okay?" He asked.

"He made another drop," Logan said, watching Alex take a detour through the alley to get around an accident.

"What is it?"

"An address. Looks like he wrote it in a hurry. I can barely make it out. Something's going down at 10 tonight."

Bobby raised his left hand to rub his eyes, but the bulky cast reminded him he couldn't. He waved it in a circle as he spoke. "Okay, uh… get yourself prettied up. We get to tell our survival story to the news when you get back."

"Great." His tone of voice said it was anything but.

* * *

"This guy… this guy saved my life," Logan said to the camera, and gave Bobby a punch on the arm.

"Detective Goren?" The reporter wanted a response, but Bobby was churning inside. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about, especially on television.

"I just… I just did what anybody would do. N-nothing special." He had to take control of the interview. That was the only thing that would calm his nerves and it would also serve their purpose. Bobby leaned forward. "You know, if they hadn't," he chuckled, "If they hadn't been so … overly dramatic, we wouldn't have had a chance. I mean, they… they pulled a move like a… James Bond movie." He laughed, and Logan laughed with him.

"They're small time gangsters trying to move into the big time," Logan agreed. "Only they don't know how."

"All they can do is… copy the movies," Bobby said with another smile.

"Well, I think I speak for the City when I say we're glad you've made it home safely, Detectives. Thank you for the work you do and I hope you catch these guys."

After the cameras were turned off, both men breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you have to say that, Logan?" Goren chastised him.

"That's what they were after, Goren! A happy, feel good, hero story. I just gave them what they wanted. Besides, it was true."

Bobby was about to rebuke him, but Alex's hand on his back did wonders to change his mood. "Good job," she said quietly. "You've stirred them up."

He used to get excited, energized when he reached this part of a case. This time, though, Bobby just felt tired. He'd been after these guys for over a month, and the combination of stress from his undercover operation, physical recovery from the escape, and the emotional toll from worry about Alex, Mike, and Devin had worn him out. He checked the time. "Let's get something to eat," he said.

"I'll fill you in while we do," Alex said.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

They milled around the squad room after dinner, waiting for the time to pass. Finally, at 9:00, Logan walked over to Alex. "You ready?" he asked her.

She glanced over at Bobby, who seemed exceptionally uneasy. "Yeah," she said without turning away from her partner. "Go ahead, Mike. I'll catch up with you downstairs."

Goren gave Logan a friendly nod, silently conveying his well-wishes. After Logan had gone, Alex stepped in closer to Bobby and spoke quietly. "I can take care of myself," she said.

"I know."

"You're worried."

"I am." Bobby looked down at his feet, and shifted his weight from one to the other. "I just don't like… not being there for you."

"I know."

He brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Just… just watch your back, Alex. I'll be waiting."

She touched his arm and hurried away without another word.

* * *

They were vested and waiting to move in from the back of a van at the corner of the block. Alex was the second wave. She would only go if they called for more back-up. They still had to protect her identity, for Devin's sake.

At 10:20, nothing had happened. Six officers had been cramped together in the back of the van for over an hour, and still nothing. With utmost professionalism, the officers did not complain. They maintained a focused silence, waiting to get the word through the speakers jammed into their earpieces.

"Abort. ATF says the event was cancelled."

All of the officers expelled an aggravated sigh and started to shed the uncomfortable equipment as the driver pulled the van out into the street and drove them to the local PD.

Mike helped Alex out of her vest. She was careful not to smack him with an elbow as the van jostled against the potholes in the worn city streets. "Devin sent word, or we'd still be there."

"He stuck his neck out," Mike agreed.

"I hope he didn't stick it out too far," she said with a frown.

As they exited the van, Alex got out her phone. They walked into the station. "Coffee?" Mike asked her, and she nodded. He disappeared into the maze of desks as she found a chair to sit in.

"Goren," he said.

"False alarm," she said. "They called us off."

"Who?"

"ATF." He was silent. She knew what he was thinking. "We're going to debrief here and then I'll head back. Shouldn't take long."

"Your place or mine?" he asked.

"Yours. I'm tired, Bobby. I hate waiting around."

"Just go straight there when you're through. I'll head home now."

"Okay."

* * *

He heard the door open and met her there with a warm embrace. "Wine?" He asked.

Alex nodded. As Bobby went back to the kitchen, she told him about the evening, with all the details. As he returned with her glass of wine, she said, "I thought Mike was going to lose it. He was sitting by Sanchez, and I guess he had burritos for dinner. Remind me to buy the guy a bottle of Beano for Christmas."

They laughed at that. Alex sat on the couch with her wine, and Bobby massaged her neck and shoulders as best he could with his right hand. She sighed and relaxed against him. Bobby knew how she felt. Hours of accumulated stress from the anticipation, and then the frustration when it was all for nothing. He held his cast against the muscles along her spine, reached around with his right arm, and pulled her body against it.

"Oh!" she said. "That's good…"

Bobby continued to massage her back in this way, moving his cast and pressing her against it. With a little roll of the cast, it was an effective massage tool. Finally, he wrapped both his arms around her and she leaned against him, molding herself against his chest.

Bobby's mind was working the case. He kept silent, not wanting to bring back Alex's tension.

She, however, was thinking, too. "We tipped them off. They're playing it safe."

"Angel's arrest…"

"Maybe the tv interview. They're going to be more careful, now."

Bobby frowned. Devin's tips may have made things worse for him. It took hours, but the two detectives finally relaxed enough to fall asleep. Sometime in the night, Alex woke him and they moved from the couch to the bed.

* * *

Three more days passed, with no contact from Devin. When Alex checked the box today, she was surprised to find a note inside. She stuffed it into her pocket and hurried out to the car where Logan was huddled up under his trilby hat, waiting. She stuffed the note into his hand and drove the car while he read it aloud.

"Sorry about the other night. They're planning something big, but I haven't been asked to help with it yet. They may be on to me, I don't know. So far all I know is there will be a meeting with a terrorist group sometime next week. They plan to sell a couple of cases of weapons."

Logan finished reading and looked at Alex's profile. "He sounds worried."

She nodded. "He's right. It was a big risk for him to make that phone call the other night."

* * *

Logan, Goren, and Eames sat in front of the Captain. "They haven't seen or heard from him in a week now. The cell they gave him is giving a 'disconnected' message. Your PO box is his only lifeline, now."

"We haven't heard anything, either."

"But at least it's open to him."

"What about sending someone else in?" Bobby asked. "Maybe someone else from Major Case?"

"I've thought of it, believe me, Goren. But the fact is, they're going to be more suspicious than ever now. The best I can do is send someone around now and then to canvas the neighborhood."

"We've been watching every day," Mike said.

"We haven't seen any sign of him."

"The worker at the parcel store…" Bobby began, but shook his head. "It would put him in unnecessary danger."

"Just keep your eyes open. Goren, I want you to orient the staff on all of these guys. We're not just looking for Devin now. We're looking for any of them."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Alex never expected that she would feel this way. Glancing over at Bobby, his face soft and relaxed, his right hand pressed against his hair, she felt her heart flip inside her chest.

He loved her, and now she knew without any doubt that she loved him. She'd cared for him for a long time, been friends with him… but even Alex hadn't been sure that what she felt was love until they'd begun this new kind of relationship. When they had sex, it was more than just physical pleasure, more than just playful fun. There was a surge of emotion behind even the simplest kiss.

She loved him, more deeply than she'd ever loved anyone, even Joe. As she came down from the excitement of her orgasm, she leaned her head on his chest. She dropped a sweet kiss on his bare skin. "I love you, Bobby," she whispered.

* * *

Logan hunched down in the seat of the car, like he always did, his hat pulled down to hide his features. He saw three men hurry inside the parcel store after her. Mike was out of the car in seconds, breathing the word "shit" like a mantra.

* * *

The note was not quite where she could reach it, and she leaned over to press her fingers against it, wondering if she should ask the attendant for help. She reached with her left, keeping her right hand within reach of her weapon. Then she heard the chimes over the door ring. Before she could extract herself from the box, She grabbed her sidearm and turned to look behind her. A heavy hand wrenched the weapon from her grip and slammed her head against the metal lockers in front of her. She heard the shots as she felt the trickle moving down her forehead and into her eye. Alex tried to get to her feet, but all she managed was to stumble and collapse on the floor, her left hand clinging to the boxes until she couldn't hold on any more.

* * *

Goren was pacing the hallway furiously. Everything had gone wrong. Alex was unconscious, getting stitches in her head. Logan was in another room, and they hadn't heard a thing about his condition yet. One of the gangsters was in surgery, thanks to Logan's bullet, and Devin was being prepped for surgery on his shoulder. The others had gotten away. The only good thing was Devin was out alive.

He watched the staff exit Alex's curtained off area and stopped the last one with a gentle hand. "C-can I?" Bobby asked, gesturing in her direction.

"Certainly, Detective. She's all stitched up, and her vitals are strong. We're just waiting for her to come around on her own, now."

He spun and made eye contact with Ross, then pulled the curtain aside and went in to stand by Alex.

The stitches were above her forehead, in her hairline. If it hadn't been for the slight shave they'd given her there, he might not have known where she was hurt. He touched the back of his hand against her cheek.

He wanted to tell her all the thoughts that were racing through his mind, but he couldn't form the words. So he stood over her, stroking her cheek and trying unsuccessfully to mask the sorrow in his expression.

"Bobby?" Ross said quietly, not even thinking twice about the intimacy the man was demonstrating for his partner. "Logan's all right. We can see him now."

"Uh, I'll be back, Alex," Bobby said quietly, touching her arm before he left her area for another section of the ER.

Logan was propped up in the ER bed, looking as if he'd been run over by a truck. Naked from the waist up, much of his chest was wrapped, and the bruises were peeking out from the edges of the tape. He raised a weary hand at Bobby and the Captain. "Vest saved me," he said weakly. "How's Alex?"

Bobby shrugged. "She's out cold," he said. "We're waiting for her to come around."

"What the hell happened?" Ross asked.

Mike told the story, including the part when he saw Devin's plea for him to shoot him.

"You shot a Fed?" Ross asked, shocked.

"Is he okay?" Logan asked, suddenly worried.

"You hit his shoulder. He'll be all right," Bobby said.

"What…" Logan paused, taking a slow, painful breath. "What about the others?"

"You got one, he's in surgery. The others got away," Captain Ross said.

"Fuck," Logan exclaimed, in response to both the news and the pain he was feeling.

A doctor came in. "We're going to release you, Detective. Make sure you take it easy for a few days." The doctor handed him a prescription for the pain and gave him more practical instructions for the next few days, advising him to see his primary doctor within a week. Logan eased himself up and slowly slid off the bed to his feet, with Goren's hand around his arm to steady him.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," Logan whispered, without even looking at him. In Ross' presence, it was all he would say. "I want to see Alex," Logan said, as Goren helped him ease his arms into the sleeves of his shirt.

Mike buttoned only a few buttons, then quietly followed Goren through the ER maze to Alex's cubicle. "Fuck," Mike breathed again. He touched her hand. "I'm sorry, Alex."

After a few minutes, the Captain put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "Let me take you home, Detective."

"Captain, I—" he protested, but Goren took hold of his arm again.

"Go ahead, Mike. You should be home. I'll… I'll call you when she wakes."

Painfully, he followed Ross out of the hospital. Bobby sat down again with his partner. Spurred by his anger, his mind formulated a plan.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

She whimpered quietly and her brow furrowed. Bobby sat up straighter as she pressed her cheek against his fingers.

"It's okay, Baby, you're okay," Bobby said, and gently moved his fingers against her skin.

"My head," she said, reaching a hand up to touch it. She felt the course stitches and opened her eyes.

"Hurt?" He asked.

"Pounding," she said.

"I'll get someone," he said. He carefully pulled his hand away and went past the curtain. When he reappeared, there was a doctor in tow.

The doctor examined her quickly and scrawled an order for a pain medicine. "I'd like to admit you," he said, "just for the night."

Alex nodded weakly and the nurse started an IV line and set up the bag of medicine. The doctor got up to leave, and Bobby followed him out. "Why do you need to keep her?" he asked, concerned.

"She has more pain than I would have expected. We need to keep an eye on her, make sure the swelling doesn't get out of hand. Despite what you see in the movies, Detective, concussions are serious. I like to err on the side of caution when it comes to my patients' brains."

Bobby nodded his head and digested the doctor's words. He went back to Alex's side.

"Bobby?" She said, squeezing her eyes closed against the throbbing pain. "What did he say to you?"

Even hurt like this, she didn't miss a thing. Bobby licked his lips. "He wants to keep you here to make sure… uhm… there's not more swelling."

"Oh." She put her hand on her ribcage and he took it in his.

Bobby leaned down and kissed her hair, careful to avoid her stitches. "Get some rest, Alex. Let the medicine do its work. I'll be right here."

* * *

It was well after visiting hours when Bobby deemed it was safe to put his plan into action. He walked to Devin's room, dark except for one light glowing against the wall, allowing for the staff to do their work.

"Got you out of there," Bobby said, and Devin opened his eyes.

"Oscar… Bobby," Devin corrected himself. "You guys got me out of there, sure."

"How's the shoulder?"

"Shot."

"That _is_ what you wanted, right? My buddy's going to worry."

Devin closed his eyes and nodded. "I couldn't think of a better way. I guess the operation's gone to shit, now."

"Not necessarily," Goren said.

Devin's eyes shot open and he was fully alert. He listened with interest as Bobby explained his plan.

"It's still dangerous," Bobby said.

"For you, too," Devin added.

"Maybe you better fill me in on the last couple of weeks before we commit to anything."

Again, Devin nodded. "It was business as usual until about a week and a half ago… I left the damn lighter at Phin's house. He gave it back the next day, but when it finally dawned on me that they were on to me, I took it apart and it was empty. They moved the tracking device to someplace else."

"It was found on a stray dog animal control picked up."

Devin chuckled. "Stray dog, huh?" he laughed again. "At least the bastards have a sense of humor."  
"They fed me the info about the night deal, then Angel got picked up and they cancelled everything."

"You called your superiors."

"I had to. I couldn't let those guys sit outside all night."

Bobby used two fingers and rubbed his eyes. He remembered the relief he felt when Alex called that night. "Did they know you made the call?"

"I don't know, but maybe."  
"And you were with us when they dumped us in the sea."

"They're adding it all up."

"You've heard my plan," Goren said. "Do you think we can pull it off?"

Devin gestured to Bobby's broken hand. "As long as you don't get drunk."

Bobby couldn't suppress his grin. He almost clapped the man on the arm, but at the last second slowed it to a gentle touch. "I'll see you when I see you," he said, smiling. "Get some rest."

"Take care, Bobby."

* * *

Bobby was back at Eames' side when she woke again. He had phoned Ross, and even though the Captain wasn't thrilled with the idea, he was willing to let him try. Now he had to inform his partner, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

She groaned and rolled onto her side. Bobby ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face. "Hi, Hon," he said quietly.

Even in her pain, she smiled weakly. He'd only just started using terms of endearment with her. "You're still here," she said.

"I promised, didn't I?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

He continued petting her hair, and she opened her eyes long enough to catch the sadness in his expression.

"What." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I… I need to tell you something."

"This is going to make my head hurt worse, isn't it?"

"Is it bad?" He asked, suddenly distracted.

"No, Bobby. It's tolerable."

He paused long enough to move his hand to hers. He took her fingers and gave them a gentle squeeze. Bobby swallowed. "I'm going back under."

Maybe it was the concussion, but Alex couldn't make sense of this. "They know you're a cop."

He saw the pain and confusion in her face and regretted telling her. "I'm going back in. I'm going to go in with Devin."

"Bobby," she said. "They're not going to let you back in."

"I'm going to give them some information they can't refuse."

"Bobby, just explain it. I can't think right now."

"I'm going to be a double agent."

"You're really going back in…" She squeezed her eyes shut while he nodded. Her eyes flew open. "You said you're going back in with Devin? Where is Devin?"

"He's here in the hospital. Logan shot him in the shoulder."

"You think since he took a bullet they'll trust him."

"You can think."

Alex felt sick to her stomach. She swallowed. "I don't like it."

"I know."

"You better get your ass back to me in one piece," she warned, her eyes filling with tears.

Bobby replied by pressing a tender kiss to her lips. "I'll come back to you, Alex." He kissed her again. "I… I have to go. Get some rest, Baby."

He kissed her once more, then left the room hoping she would fall asleep again. He went to the outdoor courtyard, which was empty and quiet in the wee hours of the morning. He pulled out his cell and called Mike.

"Yeah," a ragged voice answered.

"Logan, how are you?"

"Lousy, pal. Lousy. How's Eames?"

"Getting better. They'll probably send her home tomorrow."

"That's good."

"Logan, I need to ask a favor."

"Shoot, man."

Bobby explained what he was about to do. "Take care of her, Mike. She's gonna need some help for a few days."

"I'm not in much shape to help," he said.

"You'll do fine. Please, Mike."

Mike got the sense there was more to this than fraternal concern. He filed the notion away and decided to ask about it later, not when Bobby was about to get himself killed. "Okay, man. You got it. Take care," Logan told him.

"I will. Thanks, Mike."


	19. Chapter 19

A/N Sorry I worried you all with my lack of updates. This one is going to come slower; y'all need to know that. Life is getting in the way big time right now.

* * *

Chapter 19

Bobby sat by the thug's bed, impatiently waiting for him to come around. It was near 6 a.m. He noisily shuffled through some magazines he found on the window sill, bringing them over with him to the bedside chair. He caught movement in his peripheral vision, and lowered the magazine to his lap.

Harland Brown opened his eyes, and recognized the big man at his bedside. He waited to speak, giving his mind time to make sense of his predicament. "You're a cop."

"Look, I'm tired. I don't have time to make this pretty for you, and-" Bobby glanced at the clock, "visiting hours will start soon. I don't want my boss walking in on me here."

"Oscar," Brown said, remembering.

Bobby dug a paper out of his pocket. "Make sure this gets to Powers." He pressed it into Brown's hand, closing the man's fingers over it. Then he frowned and left.

* * *

Bobby made one more stop, outside Eames' door before he left the hospital. Powers' men would be in the hospital soon, and he couldn't risk exposing his relationship with her. He stared at her as she slept, then he turned and walked out of the hospital.

* * *

Bobby changed into jeans and a long sleeve tee, then went into 1PP to nap at his desk while he waited for the phone to ring. It was quiet this early in the morning; most detectives didn't come in until 9.

"There's a cot in the locker room. I'll watch the phone," Ross said to him.

Bobby opened his eyes and stretched. "Yeah, okay. Thank you sir."

"How's Eames?"

"Better, sir. They'll release her today."

Ross nodded and Bobby headed off to the locker room. Maybe he could manage a few hours of sleep before the call came in.

* * *

"Goren, wake up, it's him," a junior detective, Goss, said, shaking his shoulder.

Bobby rolled off the cot and followed him quickly to the squad room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sat at his desk, took a deep breath, and punched line 4. "Goren."

"This better be good."

"Look, I… need to make an appointment to discuss my, uh… retirement plan. It's too busy around here, you know, hard to concentrate."

"Eight o'clock. Pier 3. Come alone."

"Okay. Thanks." Bobby hung up the phone and scrawled slowly with his right hand on a piece of paper.

He stared at the paper, letting out a long, slow breath. Then he went straight to the Captain's office.

* * *

As Goren walked toward the pier, he was quickly grabbed and searched. His glock, phone, badge, and lighter were given to Powers, who handed them off to another man to examine.

"You came armed?" Powers said.

"I'm a cop; I'm always armed. I'm not hiding it anymore."

"I should kill you now."

"You'll miss out on some good business."

"You expect me to trust you? You were just on the six o'clock news badmouthing me and my business." Powers was very wary.

Bobby allowed himself to get agitated. He shifted and turned as he spoke. "Aw, that damn Logan! I had to follow his lead, the jackass!"

"Logan."

"He was pissed because you almost killed us. It's just business, I understand, I get it. He's a straight arrow," Bobby chuckled, "You know, everything by the damn book. Me, I've got retirement just around the corner, and I can tell you, my golden years are looking pretty sorry right now."

Bobby continued nervously. "I started an account on Grand Cayman. I'll do what business I can now, while I've got my ear to the wire, and next year, I'll retire. Spend the rest of my life trying to avoid sunburn."

"You're a career cop. You expect me to believe you'd just turn suddenly?"

Bobby shrugged. "Run a check on me, Mr. Powers. Run my background. I'm no angel. You'll see for yourself. If you call, I'll know we have a deal. If not, I'll look for someone else to support my retirement fund."

Powers gave a nod to the man with Bobby's gun and walked off into the darkness with the two others. Bobby's things were returned, and he watched as the last man walked away.

Outwardly, he looked calm, but on the inside, Bobby was shaking. He turned and walked as fast as he could to the nearest bar and bummed a cigarette and a light off the first sailor he found. After a smoke and a drink, he headed home, where he called Captain Ross.

* * *

Eames was a little dizzy when she walked, but she took her medicine and steadied her hand on the back of the couch as she headed for her room. Logan had shown up shortly after her sister brought her home. He said he was bored and could use some company. She hadn't minded, really. Even hurt as he was, Logan still had a sense of humor.

Now, though, she wanted to be alone. But Mike had succumbed to his pain medication and was soundly asleep on her couch. She carefully moved down the hall and closed her bedroom door. She was almost drifting off when the cell phone buzzed and lit up the room. Alex picked it up and read the display. "Bobby?" She answered.

"How are you?" He asked.

"I'm…" Alex paused, not really sure how to answer the question. "Dizzy."

"Do you need to go back?" He asked, alarmed.

"No. I'll give it a couple of days," she said. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"You made contact?" she asked. There was a long pause, and she knew he didn't want to discuss the details. "Bobby…"

"Alex, don't. I have to keep you… us…. separate from… this."

"Why?"

He was very still as he pondered her question. "I just… do," was all he managed to say.

Alex's head was starting to ache. She dropped it. "Logan came by."

Bobby was suddenly quite cheerful. "Good! That's good," he said.

"He said he was bored at home." She waited, but Bobby said nothing. "I've never known Logan to be bored when there was a television available."

"You're mad?"

"No. I didn't mind the first three hours. It kept me from worrying about you."

"And now?"

"I wanted to send him home, but he's snoring on my couch."

Bobby chuckled softly. "Is he okay?"

"As good as me, I guess." There was another pause. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're okay."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next day was spent in meetings with Ross, ATF, and Vice. There was enough contact between Powers' group and the players in the world of vice that those officers could provide an avenue of contact and possibly backup to Goren once he got in. His personnel file had been altered, but not much. They only removed some of his success stories from Major Case in order to make it appear that he'd been on a long downhill slide since leaving narcotics.

Bobby was worried that his file might never be corrected, but there was nothing he could do about that. This was happening at his request, and he had to trust that his Captain would make it right again once it was all over.

ATF gave him a file of information that would make Powers' mouth water. Bobby's job was to feed it to him slowly, and give Devin time to recover and join him. They expected him to be out of the hospital in a few days. Then, while he recovered "at home" he would really be back on the job, hopefully with Bobby as a partner.

Bobby skipped out at 1:00 for a late lunch. He was tired. Waiting made him tired. He kept a watchful eye and navigated a circuitous route through the city and finally found himself on Alex's porch. He rang the bell, scanning the neighborhood as he waited for her to answer.

Shyly, he went inside, his eyes drinking her in. His hand drifted to the stitches on her forehead, but before he could express his concern, she kissed him.

A flood of emotion overtook him, and he kissed her, too, as if it was their first and last kiss all in one.

Bobby glanced around. "Where's Logan?" he asked quietly.

One corner of Alex's mouth turned up. "I knew you were behind that. I gave him the guest room. He's taking a nap."

"Are you-?"

"Getting better, I think. The headache has been downgraded to a constant thud."

Bobby's fingers traced across the contour of her cheek.

"What brings you here?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

"I…I couldn't stay away. We're still waiting to hear from Powers, and I…" his voice drifted to silence. After caressing her face again, he continued. "I was careful, but I can't take this chance again. This is probably… goodbye."

Her eyes snapped to his with a warning in them. "Until the job is done," she said.

Bobby said nothing, but gave a slightly discernible nod.

"Come on in," she said, and he let her lead him to the couch. Once they sat down, she curled herself against him, taking in his afternoon scent, when musk and sweat started to overtake the aftershave and cologne. Just like his personality, it was sweet, strong, and uniquely Bobby. She relaxed even more as his arms wrapped around her, warming her inside and out.

She was very still in his embrace, and Bobby knew she wasn't well. He gently kissed her head. His thoughts swirled in a sort of wishful prayer that all her pain would be taken away, and without thinking, he tightened his grip.

Alex's ear was pressed against his chest. She listened to his heart.

* * *

Goren's afternoon in the office turned into evening at the bar. He sat over his drink, quietly brooding, periodically checking his phone that lay on the bar next to his mug.

There was no telling when the call would come, but he was as deep in now as he would be when they made contact. He'd said goodbye to Alex at 2 p.m., hoping it wasn't for good. They'd had time to get into his file. Bobby knew they would call.

Bobby leaned his head against the dirty cast on his left hand and stared at a knick in the plaster of the wall ahead of him. He counted the time in glasses of beer; as he was halfway through number 5, the phone rang, a private number.

"Goren," Bobby said.

"If you've got something, you can bring it tonight." The man rattled off an address and a time.

"Payment?" Bobby asked, and his foul mood wasn't faked.

"When we see the goods. You wanted in, this is your chance. Take it or leave it."

The line went dead, and Bobby finished his drink.

* * *

At home, he carefully selected the bit of information he would feed them. It was a ATF report that listed the known members of Powers' gang and outlined their believed roles in the group. Addresses, phone numbers, and places they could be found were all in the report as well. He hoped it would be enough to earn him a little trust.

The beers had done a job on him, and he ate a sandwich before he left the apartment, to sober himself up. He checked that his glock was within reach of his right hand, not that he'd be a very good shot if it came to that. Satisfied that he was as ready as he could be, he headed out into the dark before the dawn.

* * *

Bobby rapped his knuckles against the back door of the house. The door opened and he walked into the group, who eyed him warily.

"Oscar," the men said in greeting. They parted and made a path for him into the living room, where Powers' right hand man was waiting.

"What did you bring?" He asked, his voice a restrained snarl.

Bobby withdrew the report from his pocket and handed it over. His eyes flitted around the room while Brandt read the report. When he saw the paper droop in the man's hands, Bobby looked back in his direction.

Brandt reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope, which he handed to Goren. "We'll be in touch," he said, his tone slightly more friendly.

Bobby turned and left, mentally cataloging the names of the men in the room. Once he was home, he tossed the unopened envelope on the table and stared at it.

It was full of cash, and it would be easy to skim a few bills off the top before turning the rest over to the department. Bobby left it where it was and went to bed. He could wait until morning to find out how much they'd paid for his information.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"You any better?" Logan asked, over what was left of his bowl of cereal.

"Yeah," Alex replied, sipping her coffee.

Her words didn't match her demeanor. Logan frowned. "You got something on your mind?" he prodded.

She looked over her cup at him. "Of course I do."

"Goren," he said, and Alex nodded.

"He stopped by yesterday," she said quietly, and there seemed to be a sadness in her voice.

"You two are an item, aren't you?" Logan guessed.

Alex stiffened, but Logan stared her down.

"I never thought the rumors were true," he remarked and swallowed down another spoonful of cereal.

Alex snapped. "They're not."

Logan looked at her skeptically.

Alex sighed heavily. "After you and Bobby… he was recovering, and I took care of him and I guess…"

"I don't need to know, Alex. What you and Bobby do is your own business."

"Thanks, Mike."

"But you are worried."

Alex nodded. "Everything's different, now, Logan. I would have worried before, but now…"

"For him, too. That's why he was so worked up about our trips to the mailbox."

Again, she nodded.

After a pause, Logan eased back in the chair. "So… you can sit around here, thinking about your headache and worrying about him, or we can go to the movies. Whattaya say?"

Slowly, Alex grinned. "That sounds good, Logan."

"I'll look up the listings."

* * *

The envelope landed on Ross' desk with a thud. Ross sat up slowly and turned it over in his hands before looking up at his weary detective. He saw that it was still sealed.

"They took the bait?" he asked.

Bobby nodded.

"How much?" Ross asked curiously.

"I-I don't know."

After a moment of silence, Ross tore open the envelope. He spread out the hundreds on the desk. "Two thousand dollars." Ross made a quick call and turned back to Bobby. "What now?" he asked Goren.

"I wait again. It's their game… I'm lucky to be in it."

"Accounting is on the way up. Stick around." He gestured to the chair in his office. "Don't worry," the Captain said, gesturing to the money. "I don't want to be alone with this, either."

* * *

Bobby went back to Powers' neighborhood that night. He set himself up at the local bar, watching a pool game and nursing a tumbler of whiskey. He enjoyed playing pool, but that was something else he would have to wait to do until his hand healed up. He scanned the room and took another sip.

He saw Trego come in, and watched the man work the room, greeting and bumping knuckles with most of the patrons. He was a child, really. Trego was 22 years old, and looked much younger. He was the errand boy for Powers' group, happily delivering information and supplies throughout the group. Trego recognized him, and came over.

"Oscar, I hear you're back."

Bobby nodded, but said nothing.

"I heard you're a dirty cop," Trego said with a snarky smile.

Internally, Bobby bristled, but it never showed in his expression. "I'm an old man," was all he said.

Trego looked around the room and spoke again. "Brandt says if you have anything else, to let me know and he'll meet you here at midnight. He said he's looking for names."

"Names? I just gave him names."

"He wants to know who the moles are."

Bobby remained silent. He nodded and took a drink. He watched from his peripheral vision as Trego left the bar.

* * *

"I don't have names," Bobby said to Brandt.

"Why did you waste my time, then?"  
Bobby slid a piece of paper his way. "It's not a waste. I'm saving your ass." Tonight's information was a plan from ATF to bust a business meeting between Powers and his gun suppliers.

Brandt allowed himself a smile. He pulled another envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Goren. "Find us the names, you'll have a nice retirement coming," he commented just before he left.

* * *

It continued like that for several days, and finally, on the fourth night, Devin walked into the bar, his arm in a sling. He saw Bobby and joined him at the bar. Devin quietly ordered a drink and spoke without looking at the detective.

"I'm back in," Devin said.

"I think I'm getting there," Bobby replied. "They want me to find the moles."

"My guys are on it," Devin said. "They'll get you something in the office tomorrow."

Trego drifted over and Bobby acted the part. "Fucking Logan. Nearly gets me killed, and then he shoots you."

Devin grinned. "I'm all right." He tipped his glass. "Especially now. Between the pain killers and this drink, I'm feeling pretty good!" Trego and Bobby laughed with him.

"Nothing tonight," Bobby told the young man, and Trego walked away. He lowered his voice. "Go easy on that," Bobby warned. "You'll end up in the hospital again."

"I'm okay," Devin said. "Thanks." He took his drink and walked away.

* * *

Goren spent Saturday in the office, signing off on homicide reports as if he'd been working all week, in case Powers were to check up on him. By the afternoon, he was in a meeting with Ross and two ATF agents. "They want a name, you give him one."

"What?!"

"Devin's back in clean, and you're on your way."

"Bullshit. I won't do it." Bobby's face turned red as he tried to suppress his anger. They were asking him to put someone's life at risk. He looked at the ATF men, who were determined that Bobby should just choose one of Powers' gang and sentence him to death. "Captain…!" Bobby pleaded.

"You guys better come up with a better plan. I will not have one of my detectives sentencing a man to death without due process."

"You don't have to worry about that, Captain, because I won't do it."

Ross looked at the Feds, his arms folded across his chest. "Give us another option."

"No name, or your name," one of the agents suggested.

Bobby spun angrily and paced in the opposite direction. His thoughts were spinning so hard and fast that he didn't even register the Captain arguing with the agents behind him. Goren paced right out of the office and closed himself off in an interview room.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Goren almost didn't hear the knock. He looked up to see his Captain easing the door open. He sat up and waited to hear what the man had to say.

Ross, however, said nothing. Instead, he shut the door and sat in a chair opposite his detective.

"I need to talk to Devin. We can come up with a plan together."

"You can keep stringing them along."

Bobby shook his head. "Not if we want to pull this off. They have to trust one of us. It looks like it's going to be Devin."

"Don't throw yourself under the bus, Goren. I can pull you. Just walk away from it."

Bobby shook his head again. "It's not that simple, Captain. Powers will take this personally, and whether I walk away or he finds out from some other source, he'll want revenge. I'll keep playing it for a few days, until Devin and I come to an agreement." Bobby shrugged. "If we're lucky, we'll get the chance to bust them before it comes to that."

"I'd rather have you back in the squad, where we can look out for you."

Goren nodded. "Thank you, Captain, but not yet."

* * *

"Welcome back, Eames," Sanchez said as he walked by her desk.

Alex nodded at him and sat down. She couldn't help but notice that the desk adjoining hers was empty. She tossed a pile of mail from her box on the desktop and started going through it.

"How's the head?" Ross asked, stopping by on the way to his office.

"Better, sir," she said.

"Take it easy today," he warned her.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Hide in plain sight," Devin said as he joined Bobby on the bleachers at the high school ball game.

"It's always worked for me," he replied. They watched the players for a minute.

"What's wrong?" Devin asked, breaking the silence.

"Powers is pushing for the name of the mole."

"Well, that's me."

"I'm not doing that."

"What, then?"

"I want to keep playing the game. Then, when you are in proximity, I want you to rat me out."

"He'll kill you."

"That's why you have to wait until you're in proximity. Your job is to keep me alive… without blowing your cover."

"I don't think that's possible."

Bobby glared at him.

"Look, I tried that once, and they were on to me. I try that again, they'll sniff me out."

"So you just have to do a better job of it. Maybe like Logan did for you."

"You want me to be the one-?"

"I'd rather it be you than someone I don't trust."

"Shit." Devin adjusted the sling on his neck. "All right, Goren. But when I call you for help, you better show up with a fucking army."

"Deal."

* * *

Eames was surprised when she heard the knock on her door. She checked the peephole and spotted Logan, bundled up against the cold drizzling rain, on her porch.

She opened the door. "Come in and get out of that mess," she told him, leaving the door for him to take care of.

"Thanks," Logan said, shedding his coat and hat. He was still wearing the trilby. He liked it.

"I was just sitting down to eat. You hungry?"

"Uh, yeah, if you don't mind." He laid his coat and hat over the back of a chair and wound his way into the kitchen, where she was just setting a plate out for him. His mouth watered as soon as he saw the barbecue chicken on the plate. "Thanks, Eames."

"I saw you in the office today. You coming back?"

Mike nodded. "I gave Ross my doctor's note. I start back on Monday."

"Good."

"Any word on Bobby?"

The mention of his name sent a pain through her heart. "Ah, you know… no." She didn't mention that he'd left a bag of skittles for her in her desk drawer. She knew he was in and out of the office, but mostly, they were faking paperwork to make it appear he was coming in during the day. The poor guy had to sleep sometime.

Mike didn't talk about Goren any more. He didn't want to bring her down. "Where did you learn to cook like this?" He asked enthusiastically.

Eames grinned. "My best friend in college was from the South. They know how to barbecue—'low and slow,' she always said."

"It tastes like that place on 18th street."

"That, too," Eames said with a wink. She got up and showed him the take-out box in the fridge. They shared a laugh. "Bobby & I go there about once a month," she said. "I guess I had a craving."

"I saw those ATF bastards when I was leaving the squad today," Mike said.

"Yeah?" She asked, though neither of them could possibly know what that meant.

"Ross looked pissed."

Alex bit her bottom lip. Their Captain's behavior did mean something. "Maybe they're finally getting close…" she said, trying to come up with something that would ease the worry in her heart.

Mike could see the tension in her face. He looked down at his place and simply agreed with her. "Maybe."

* * *

It was three a.m., and Bobby couldn't sleep. Nothing was going on in the undercover job tonight, at least not on his end. He was home and in his bed, and the only thing he could think of was Alex.

Selfishly, he relived his intimate memories of her.

Then he thought about the job. She'd already lost her husband in the line of duty. He mentally kicked himself for ever letting her get so close. Now, she was going to lose him, too.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The time and place were Devin's call, and Bobby had to trust him. Goren's information was lousy anyway; they still didn't trust him and were feeding him misinformation to trick him into revealing whose side he was really on. Bobby hung around the warehouse with a handful of the others.

It didn't escape his attention that none of the others with him were the big players. Trego and a handful of the lesser gang members were the only ones waiting with him. He sighed and ran his right hand through his curls.

He hadn't shared the information about tonight's deal. Bobby saw it for what it was immediately, and didn't fall for it. Without a word, he walked out the door, leaving the others to mill about pacing, waiting for nothing to happen.

Bobby caught the late bus and hopped off in Devin's neighborhood. He sometimes caught Devin in the bar and was able to trade information with him. Bobby stepped inside and ordered a drink.

"He left a message for you," the bartender said, passing Bobby a note along with his whiskey. Bobby opened it and read it quickly. "Thanks," he said. He took out his cell and sent a quick text to the Captain. Then he finished his drink before walking back out into the night.

* * *

"You weren't invited," Brandt said, guarding the door. "In fact, you were sent on another job."

"That was a smokescreen and you know it. Look, I'm either in, or out. Do you want to be the one to make that decision, Brandt?"

The weight of his question made the man step back from the door. Bobby entered quietly, and saw the real players were gathered here.

"Do you have something for us?" Brandt said. "It might be the only thing that saves you."

"Sure," Bobby said, spotting Devin across the room and looking away. "I have the name Powers was looking for."

In his peripheral vision, Bobby saw Devin move forward and whisper in Powers' ear. The terrorists were already in the room, but negotiations hadn't yet begun. There was a trunk full of weapons on the floor in the center of the room. Thankfully, they weren't loaded.

Powers whispered to Devin, who walked over to Bobby, a cold, hard look on his face. Devin turned to Brandt. "You let Oscar in?"

"He let himself in."

"With you at the door." Devin held a gun in his uninjured hand, and both Goren and Brandt saw it at the same time. "He's a rat," Devin explained. Brandt drew his own weapon and turned on Bobby.

Reflexively, Bobby's left hand shot out and he clobbered Brandt with full force behind his heavy cast. The plaster broke and shattered. Bobby barely registered the pain in his hand before he felt the hard metal of Devin's pistol strike him just above his right ear. He stumbled back against the door, and dropped to his knees in a daze. Devin shoved him to the floor, but Bobby didn't have the sense to lie still. He heard the gunfire and the room went black.

* * *

"Eames," Alex's sleepy voice spat into the phone. "Yeah, sure, okay, Captain." She ended the call and rolled out of bed, holding her breath. Something wasn't right about this, but she had her orders.

* * *

She swallowed hard when she saw Devin in the holding cell, and sat down at the computer to complete his booking papers while the others looked on from the adjacent cells. When she finished, she sauntered over and motioned for a uniformed officer to let him out. "This one has to go to interrogation A," she announced.

She ignored the glares of the other prisoners as she escorted Devin out of the room. Once in the interrogation room, the ATF agents were waiting.

"You pulled it off, D!" They said happily, shaking his newly uncuffed hands. Alex listened to their exchange with interest, but she couldn't shake her worry.

Devin turned to her. "How's Bobby?" He asked, honestly thinking she would know.

"I was waiting for you to tell me," she replied.

Devin shook his head in frustration. "I'm sorry," he said. "I tried to knock him out, but he was still moving and I think he got hit in the crossfire when the teams moved in."

"Goren was shot?!" She asked, only just managing to control her panic.

"I-I think so. A lot happened, I don't really know for sure."

Alex was already dialing her phone. "Where is he?" She demanded. She listened to the Captain's apologies and registered none of it. "Yes, they've got him." She hung up the phone and with a worried glance, left.

* * *

Goren heard a familiar sigh and turned toward it. Even the slight turn of his head gave him a dizzy sensation. He lay still, his eyes shut, listening.

"Bobby?"

Her voice was quiet, but it was definitely hers. He thought better of moving his head again and instead tried to reach out with his hand, but it was too heavy.

"Bobby?" She asked again.

He groaned softly in response, and she put her hand on his chest.

"Take your time; I'll be here whenever you're ready," she said. She looked him over. Devin had given him a concussion and he'd been admitted. He'd broken his cast, but fortunately not his healing hand. And miraculously, he hadn't been shot. When the smoke cleared, two men had died from gunshot wounds, and 6 others were shot, including one ATF agent. Bobby's weapon had been discharged, but it was unclear so far if he'd hit anyone.

He seemed to relax under her touch, and went back to sleep. Alex raised her hand and rubbed her own head, where the stitches had been. She knew too well how rotten he was feeling.

She saw Logan hovering in the doorway and went over to him. He kept his voice low. He'd had a concussion recently, too, and knew how important quiet was. "How's he doing?" Logan asked.

"He stirred a little, but I could tell he was hurting. The staff thinks he's improving."

"You still mad at Ross?" He asked.

"Yes, but I know he needed me over there." She folded her arms. "I'll get over it."

"Ballistics just came back. Bobby's gun took out one of the terrorists. He was on the top ten list."

This was encouraging to Eames, but she knew Bobby. He would be upset that the man didn't face a trial. "Do you need anything?" Mike asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"Call me when they send him home."

"Sure, Mike."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Goren and Eames ended the day in the Captain's office. Bobby no longer had a cast on his hand, and he had been experimenting using his left hand all day. Ross passed Goren his personnel file, restored, with a copy of his latest commendation attached. The Captain congratulated him and shook his hand. Eames, smiling proudly, gave him a friendly hug.

"You should have seen the look on Moran's face when he signed off on it, Goren."

"He's got it in for me," Bobby said with a shy grin.

"But he knows you're the best," Ross said. "Like it or not, you represent what NYPD is all about."

They started to leave, but Bobby turned back. "Captain Ross," he began, "When you first started in Major Case, I… uh…"

"We had a pretty rocky start."

"Well, sir, I… I just want you to know: You've earned my respect."

Ross gave him a rare smile, and the two detectives left for home.

* * *

"How's the hand?" Alex asked over dinner as she watched him concentrate to use his fork.

Bobby dropped the fork on the plate with a look of frustration.

"That's what I thought," Alex sighed.

"I've been waiting all this time, and now I still can't use it."

"Give it some more time," she encouraged him. "Those muscles just got a little lazy, that's all. At least you could write today."

"Anybody ever sees it will think it was forged."

"I saw it. It's not your usual messy script, but it was better than your right handed signature."

He didn't seem encouraged, and she got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around him. Alex nibbled his earlobe, and he couldn't help but smile. She whispered in his ear. "I guess you don't want to use that hand any more tonight, do you?" She followed her question with lips tugging at his lobe.

Bobby groaned, and turned his face towards hers. "I never said that," he swore, and took her in a kiss. As the fingers of his left hand glided against her neck, she moaned with pleasure. "That feels nice," she said, and kissed him again.

Bobby thought so, too. He combed his fingers up through her hair and back down again. He let his hand drift down and over her breasts, realizing he'd never explored her with that hand before.

New sensations registered for both of them, and in many ways, it was like the first time all over again. Only this time, there were moments in the passion when the motions stopped, and whole conversations were spoken with only their eyes.

Alex curled into his arms, waiting for her heartbeat to slow. Bobby continued to pet her with his hands, and a tranquil silence blanketed them. He regretted the fear and worry he had put her through, but it was too late to turn back now: too late for both of them. Bobby's last conscious thought before he slept was that it was better to be content in the moment.

THE END


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